A Manga to Reality
by GeminiLady21
Summary: It was supposed to be a dream come true when Brooke and her sister Dena somehow ended up in the anime Yu-Gi-Oh! That's until Brooke finds a letter written by herself 10 years from the future, turning a miraculous fantasy, into a somber reality. The letter warns of two things: 1) For Brooke not to repeat the mistakes she caused; 2) To save Ryou Bakura from suicide.
1. In Yugioh?

**A/N: Ayo peeps. Yeah. I'm back for A Manga to Reality. Random isn't it? XD Okay, so here's a rewrite of the rewrite of chapter one...confusing, isn't it? Don't worry guys, I SWEAR this is my last re-write.**

* * *

**~Chapter One~**

Dena Kemp knew three things for certain:

_**1\. She has a harrowing hell of a headache**_

_**2\. She landed on top of some random little boy**_

_**3\. She has no current memories of what happened after her fight with her sister**_

_And that I feel confused as heck. Baffled. Confuddled. Or is muddled the right word? Okay wait, getting off track. _She thought, in a dazed fit. The movement of a body writhing under the weight of Dena, calls her back to reality. She rolls off him, the boy immediately jumping to his feet, looking fiercely at her. Black bushy hair flies wildly around the frame of his tanned, round little head. His dark blue eyes look toughly up at Dena, and he crosses his small arms across his chest, straightening his posture.

Getting a good look at his face, Dena is in absolute awe. The kid's eyes were big, so big. The unnatural type of big, the most prominent feature on his small, round face. Probably due to that fact that they practically took up half of his face! _Freaky!_

Dena can tell he's trying to be intimidating - but he looks pretty freaked out to be honest, not to mention he only manages to look like a very cross munchkin. Dena feels a giggle escape, thinking of those small nasal sounding humanoids from _The Wizard of Oz - _

"Where did _you_ come from?!" The boy says in a demanding voice, surprisingly loud for a kid his size, immediately snapping Dena out of her random thoughts. "And _how _did you get into Kaiba Corps offices - especially my brother's office?!"

Dena scratches the back of her head, and gives a nervous chuckle. "Those are very good questions kids - eh, question is, where exactly am I?"

The boy gives Dena yet another funny look, backing away a few more steps. "Domino City, Japan, of course!"

* * *

Brooke hates heights.

That's because there's always the possibility of death. And the intense feeling of falling down to God-knows-where. And not to mention that uncomfortable, shivering feeling running down your spine - the type you get when you go down that steep drop of a roller coaster. So one can imagine that the situation she is right now, is not very enjoyable.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhHHH!" She screams at the top of her lungs, as she falls down, down, down. Tears rush out of her eyes, vision absolutely blurred, and eyes burning. Brooke's arms wildly fly about, desperately trying to grasp for any form of material object, to stop her from falling to an untimely demise. Her legs kick and thrash about, impulsively trying to fight off the chance of dying. Her heart beats wildly in her chest, adrenaline pumping, all of her five senses on overdrive.

Brooke's thoughts are completely disoriented, flying here and there from random subjects, trying to get the concept of what's happening at the moment, and the panic, panic, panic gripping her mind.

_Oh dear God, please, please, please save me. I'm falling. I'm falling. Where? How? How did it come down to this? This is kind of like Alice from Alice in Wonderland - falling into the rabbit hole - is this how she felt? Falling, panicking, confused, scared? Reality all a blur? Is this how you feel like when you're going to die? Oh God. Oh God. What's my family going to think? Not like they would notice anyway, my parents - oh but what about Cargan? And Dena? They would care - absolutely! Wait wait wait - how did it all come down to this?_

Through mixed thoughts and intense fear, a thought suddenly struck Brooke._ I don't remember anything of how I came down to falling in the first place. _All she remembers - at least what she _could_ \- yes, that's it, she was fighting with Dena before being in this heck of a mess! _Oh where is she, what is she thinking, how will I - _

_THUD!_

Brooke lands.

Finally.

She exhales loudly out of relief, when she sees that her body didn't smash from the impact with the floor from the height she fell from, thank goodness -

"Aagh!" Someone yells.

Weird. The floor is moving - and it's soft - wait, did she land on a _person_!

The heat on Brooke's face burns even more when realizing this fact, and jumps off instantly, backing away. Catching sight of the poor person who served as a cushion for Brooke's fall. Sprawled on the ground is a boy probably around her age, his face hidden by a mess of white spiky hair - wait a moment. _Ryou Bakura?!_ Brooke kept backing up, until hitting the wall. _It can't possibly be him - maybe a cosplayer, yes, a cosplayer. Has to be!_

She breathes out shakingly, quickly taking in the account of her new, strange settings. A medium sized, Japanese styled apartment, consisting of one room. A small kitchen over there in the right corner, near the door. An incredibly tiny but lumpy looking couch shoved close to the wall next to a window. A TV on a small table. Yes, a typical Japanese apartment.

Something else then occurred to Brooke, as she took in her settings - everything looked..._flat. _2-D-ish. The colors are definitely bold and defined, plastic and lined. Yet she could touch the table near her, and it's perfectly dimensional - w-what's happening here?!

The cosplayer(?) finally collects himself, stumbling onto his feet. He looks over to Brooke, his wide, brown eyes looking straight at her. _For a cosplayer, he has such big eyes - anime drawn style like...way too realistic…_ Brooke can feel the hairs on her neck raising. What _is_ happening here?

"Who...are you?" Ryou Bakura cosplayer states slowly, backing off to where the phone is.

Brooke instantly sense her mouth turning dry. Her tongue completely immoblized inside her mouth, refusing to move in any shape or form to even communicate with this Bakura-look alike. _Is he really Ryou Bakura? Or, or is he just some random guy that happens to like dressing up l-like Bakura…_ All of this confusion finally takes a toll. The roiling, discomforting churning of her stomach sends warning signs up to her brain.

Heat returns to Brooke's face once again. _Oh no, oh no. I think I'm gonna - _

She lurches for the nearby trashcan behind the creepily realistic Ryou Bakura, and empties out the contents of her stomach.

* * *

Dena smiles knowingly down at the kid, knowing that what he told her was virtually impossible.

"C'mon, don't fool with me kiddo," She says, her hands moving to her hips. "That's _impossible._ Last time I recall, I was fighting with my sister at our home in Los Angeles, California, ergo, the United States of America." Dena glances around, a smile playing on her lips. "Is this some fool joke? If it is, it's not quite effectual enough to earn a _reaction_ outta me." She glances back at the black, bushy haired kid, with an expectant smile. "Am I right or right?"

He frowns at her. "Well, I don't know about you, but last time _I_ checked, I live in Domino City, Japan."

Dena scoffs. "_Please_. A city like this doesn't even exist on the maps. You're talking invalid, devoid information."

"Well, _you're_ talking trash!" The kid shoots back, his eyebrows turning down, making an angry, irritated look on his round face. "It's amazing how you don't even know what's Domino City is, the birthplace of Kaiba Corporations!"

She only returns his claim, with a blank, unamused look.

The already irritated look on the little boy's face turns into an expression of contempt and perplexness. It sort of reminded her the type of look that her parents would give her when she doesn't know how to solve a math problem. And she _hates_ that. She's no ignoramus, for sure! "I can't _believe_ it!" He exclaims. "An _American_, so you claim, says that she doesn't even know what Kaiba Corporations _are!_ You're _crazy!"_ He noticeably emphasized on the word, crazy.

Dena frowns at him. "I'm not crazy, I'm mentally sound, last time I check." She looks around once again, taking in more details of the environment. Looking out of the huge, open windows, she sees a beautiful view of a city, the shiny towering skyscrapers all lined up, the shimmering of a faraway ocean in the distance, and the bright clear blue skies. The room that both she and the boy reside in, looks fairly luxurious of material - a sleek black couch here, a kitchen with a frivolous electrical coffee maker over there, a huge flat screen TV accompanied with a Xbox - a nice room indeed.

However, a weird thing about the whole environment that Dena noticed, is that everything seemed so - _vibrant._ Like something out of an animated cartoon. The whole setting looks two dimensional, at least to the human eye. From what Dena can tell, she can perfectly touch the armchair near her, or the nearby couch, feeling their texture and dimension. Yet her mind cannot seem to comprehend this optical illusion and idea - all in all, why does everything look so, _weird_?

The little boy shakes his head. "Aside from small talk, I'm calling the security!" He scrambles away to reach for a phone sitting on a rich looking mahagony table with a huge leather chair grandly towering behind it. The fact that the bushy haired kid is calling for security guards, probably should've bother Dena, but at that moment, what bothers her even more is that the kid has the _ability_ and _authority_ to even call up some security.

"Security? What, are you some billionaire or something?"

The kid stops in his tracks, taking a moment to give Dena a funny look. "Duh. Afterall, I am the little brother of the greatest CEO in the whole entire world!" His eyes immediately light up, his face all animated with a zeal that Dena is yet to see from this weirdo of a kid.

_Kinda like me, towards my sister, Brooke. _Dena suddenly thought. She couldn't help but feel something tug inside, her chest, when thinking back to the fight they had, before all of this strange of a mess. But that disappears from her mind, when the boy seems to be going to a ramble of a fit right now, probably from another blank, ignorant look she gave him.

"I _cannot_ believe you!" He shouts, waving his arms all about. "I can accept the fact that you're delusional enough to not believe that we're in Japan, but the fact that you don't even know who my brother is and the reputation Kaiba Corps has, completely drives me _banannas!_"

Dena lets out an easy-going laugh, waving a hand. "Gee kid, gee, calm down. I can learn. As you can tell, I'm not really from around here." She sits down on the couch, seeing a chess board set up on the table. She smiles fondly, picking up a piece, particularly the queen. It looked like it is carved out of black marble itself, from the coolness it gives off in her hand and the heaviness for a chess piece. _My favorite. The offensive player, the go-getter, the threatening presence of the board._ Dena muses.

"The name's Adena Kemp, if you wanna know," She says aloud, still examining the chess piece. She looks back up to the boy. "But you can call me Dena. I like that better, anyways."

The boy gives Dena a frown, turning into a hesitant look. He walks over to the couch, leaning forward to her. "You _should_ have known this already, but I'm Mokuba Kaiba. The proud brother if Seto Kaiba, the best game player and CEO and business guy and chess player, _in the world._" His eyes are bright with adoration.

"Greatest chess player, you say?" Dena asks, raising an eyebrow.

Mokuba nods, a beaming smile on his face. "Oh yeah, you got that alright. The grandmaster of Japan, and ten trophies of winning chess tournaments in all."

"Impressive." Dena closes an eye, and leans back in the comfortable, supple leather chair. "But I have _eleven."_ She drops casually, a smile creeping onto her face.

Mokuba pauses, looking at her with intrigue. "What? Are you saying that you're a grandmaster at chest as well?" He scoffs at this. Dena flashes him a challenging glare, feeling her pride at stake.

"In _running._ I'm in the process of entering this huge tournament back home."

"Yeah? Well I don't believe you!"

Dena leans forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "That so, Mokuba-kid?" A tricky smile spreads on her face. "If you're the little brother of this oh-so great chess player, then surely you must've inherited his skills."

Mokuba gives Dena a suspicious look. "What are you getting at…?"

"That I'm challenging you to a game of chess. Which I will_ completely_ and _utterly_ crush you at."

This must've taken a jab at his huge pride, because his nostrils flare and his little shoulders rise to his neck. "Oh you're so ON!" He jumps on the seat the opposite side, where the white chess pieces are. "I'll beat your ass to the ground!"

Dena frowns at the use of a curse. "Tricky mouth ya got there. But kay kid, you earned my graces of me being your opponent." She says, taking the opposite side of Mokuba. To her satisfaction, she happens to have the black chess pieces. Having the black pieces are part of one of her many strategies she makes up for chess. _At least the kid isn't bent on calling some security guards on me anymore. _She thought, as she watches Mokuba move a knight forward.

* * *

The heat of shame burns all over Brooke's body.

She couldn't _believe_ it. She barfed _right in front_ of the actual Ryou Bakura.

_I guess that you can say that falling from I-don't-even-know-where, right on top of the Yu-Gi-Oh character, Ryou Bakura, would not be my ideal way of entering the Yu-Gi-Oh verse, my absolute dream come true. Not to mention, the not-so-fun-traumatizing experience._

Brooke clutches the cup of chamomile tea Ryou graciously gave her, with gratitude. She can feel its heat seeping through the cup, the light scent of honey tickling her nose, and the ghost-like steam rising to her face. It made Brooke feel instantly better, in terms of soothing her stomach, and easily washes away the foul taste that remained in her mouth. _Like the nice character I came to know and love,_ she thought with overwhelming nostalgia. Ryou provided Brooke with the tea, a towel, tums, _and _an ice packet, despite the fact that she's a complete and utter stranger. _He's just that type of person. Nice and kind. _

A small smile trembles on Brooke's lips. She can feel the concerned, and questioning eyes of Ryou Bakura looking carefully at her. "Are you alright, now?" His soft yet firm voice asks. Brooke immediately notes that he doesn't have the horrid British accent, that his English dub counterpart had. (Personally, she thought that giving Bakura a British accent in the dub, made him look pretty stupid. There was plenty of other ways to show his polite personality, instead of stereotyping him.) Instead, it was almost like Brooke imagined it when she read the manga - a soft spoken, polite, and reserved tone of a voice, for Ryou.

"Y-yes." She answers, Her eyes diverting from his, in impulse. She hates the feeling of looking at people's eyes. Always judging, looking, studying you - not to mention that she can't get over the fact that she's somehow actually talking to a Yu-Gi-Oh character. In the flesh.

"Okay." He gives Brooke a reassuring smile. "I won't hurt you, or anything. My name is Ryou Bakura." Reactively, another smile tugs at Brooke's lips. _Not like I already knew. _She thought, giddy, the nerve racking pounding of her heart residing. "Please, call me Bakura, if you can." Brooke nods, knowing the respectful customs of the Japanese culture. He fixes the position of his legs, leaning forward. "May I ask, what's your name?"

The pounding of Brooke's heartbeat, returns, when Ryou asks for this. _I hate my name. _She thought, looking back to her cup of my tea. To get it over with and for the sake of politeness, she quickly mumbled her name, in slight shame.

Ryou flashes her another kind, reassuring smile. "Forgive me, but may you speak up?"

Brooke doesn't look back at him, letting her thick bangs cover her eyes. _I'm so glad that I never cut them._ "Brooke Kemp," She says, speaking up. She can bet ten dollars that her nose is shaded in an absolute shade of red - it tends to that, when she feels ashamed, embarrassed, or things like that, rather blushing at the cheeks. Brooke finds this pretty weird, given the fact since she gets embarrassed all the time, she would blush at the cheeks like a normal person. "But please," She adds giving a small bow to Ryou. "Call me by my first name, Brooke."

"I see If you don't mind me asking, Brooke, may you tell me as to where you came from?"

She takes a sip of tea, setting it back on the table. Peering down, she can see the remnants of tea leaves swirling at the bottom of the cup, mixing with the golden color of the beverage. Brooke clasps both of her hands on her chest. They are both grasping for her necklace, to chew on the familiar, comforting metal chain - but then, Brooke realizes, she ripped it off from her fight with…

Realization dawns upon her, and tears welt up in her eyes.

"Are you okay?" Ryou's voice calls her back.

Brooke slowly glances up, trying to manage a smile. "Ah - y-y-yes." She sputters, recollecting herself. "Truth be told...I have no idea to the terms as to _how_ I got here. I don't remember anything - that is from the moment before the...disagreement I had with my sister."

Ryou cocks his head. "You mean you have amnesia?" He asks, with concern.

She quickly shakes her head. "No, no. I perfectly remember my childhood and everything," _Like how I always read Yu-Gi-Oh manga all alone in the house when my parents had to work and go to my siblings' spelling bees or huge math competitions. And how they always ignored me. Or how I always looked up to your character as a I kid because you're always alone, just like me. _Though she didn't dare say anything of those sort out loud. "It's just, the last thing I remember is talking to my sister…"

"Do you know where your sister is?"

"No, I don't." She whispers. "I'm far away from home." Excitement rises within her, almost casting aside the impending sadness and anxiety building up, when remembering that she's in the real deal Domino City, Japan. "_Very_ far away from home."

"Really?" Ryou cocks his head the other direction, some of his pure white hair falling across his face. "How far away are you talking about?"

"I come from the city Los Angeles. In short, America." She answers truthfully. She wondered if she should tell Ryou the matters that not only that she comes from America, but another _dimension._

Ryou's eyes widen. "An _American_ in my apartment?" He laughs, running a hand through his spiky white hair. "That sure is _something. _But that doesn't really explain as to how you ended up landing on top of me in my apartment." He frowns, looking up at the ceiling. "There aren't any holes or ventilation shafts or anything from above…" He says, thinking aloud.

_I probably should offer him my best explanation. Even though I have no idea as to what is happening right now, or how I even got here. _

"Ryou...do you believe in...magic?" _Is that what I can come up with? Magic? Bringing me _here_? Then again, no other plausible explanation, is there…?_

He pauses. "In one form or another, I believe so. Why?"

"Uhm…" Brooke trails off, wondering how to put it. A side of her was screaming, _No don't, you'll seem crazy! He won't like you! He's your favorite character!_ Brooke shushes it away, but doesn't look Ryou straight at the eye, afraid to see his reaction. "What if I say that I come from an alternate dimension...from your world…?"

A pause of silence.

_Oh that's it, I really, really, really messed up now. He'll probably kick me out or something, call the cops on me or…_ A worse possibility creeps into her thoughts. _Laugh at me, and call me crazy…._ Brooke squeezes her eyes shut, as if waiting for a death sentence.

"So a parallel world of sorts, we can call it?"

She jumps, startled at his voice. "Y-you're actually considering the possibility?"

Ryou shrugs. "As to now, I can't think of a logical explanation as to how you ended up from Los Angeles, California, to Domino City, Japan, right smack in my apartment." He brushes his long bangs from his face, revealing more of his warm, friendly brown eyes. "So yeah, I can consider it. For now, I can guess."

"Thank you." Brooke breathes out, all tension released.

He looks at Brooke funny, but with a smile. "You're welcome. Tell me, Brooke," Brooke represses the urge to giggle out loud, when hearing Ryou Bakura's actual voice pronouncing her name. "I'm guessing that given you come from a parallel universe, you don't have a home in Domino City, do you?"

The relieved smile from Brooke's face immediately disappears, when she realizes this fact. This wasn't a typical fangirl fantasy dream where everything is happy go lucky - Brooke is in the actual situation. All she had was the clothes on her back and a purse that she always carries around with her. But a fat load good that will do - though Domino City is a fictional place, that doesn't mean that real world necessities don't apply there. _I don't even a place to stay, money, a passport… Your family,_ A voice echoes in the back of her mind. Brooke blinks, the tears escaping.

_I have nothing. _

Ryou quickly hands her some napkins, which she gladly takes and furiously mops her face with. _God, I must look so babyish, so weak for barfing and crying in front of him - I'm that pathetic, aren't I? _He reaches across the table, and takes hold of her right hand. Brooke flinches, her nose a bright red now. She instantly recoils, which she instantly regrets, fearing that she might've hurt Ryou's feelings.

If she ever did offend him, Ryou doesn't show it, only he casting another funny look. "Well, Brooke, if you're comfortable enough, you can live here with me. I mean, until you can raise money for yourself and buy an apartment, or figure something out," He cracks a smile. Brooke glances to her knees unsure. Although she knew Ryou's character like the back of her hand, the idea of staying with a boy, in an apartment, with no adult supervision…She felt once again, guilty, for probably acting a little bratty, given that her options are narrow at the moment.

Ryou must've sensed and realized this, his cheeks turning a violent red. A laugh escapes Brooke, seeing how apparent the red is on Ryou's pale skin. "I s-swear," He stutters, ruffling his hair and glancing away with a sheepish smile. "I'm not a pervert or anything, I swear, I won't touch a hair on your head."

Brooke laughs a little more, the tension releasing from her shoulders. "Ahaha...no, no it's no problem. I trust you." She smiles sincerely, nodding. "I know you're not like that." She covers her mouth, realizing she slipped. But Ryou doesn't seem to notice, still looking away and blushing slightly. "T-Thank you...this is an endless gratitude for me."

"No problem!" Ryou looks back to Brooke, his cheeks still a bit pink. "I just moved into this new apartment today, and I found out it was two bedroom. I was wondering what to do with this extra space, before you came crashing in." He chuckles. "Guess you were my answer. Now I can put the bedroom to good use."

"Thank you…"

* * *

**A/N: Well folks, that's Chapter One for ya! What do you think of the rewrite of the rewrite! I'm enjoying this so far! See you in next chapter! **

**A/N: (Edit) I decided to write A Manga to Reality in third person omniscent - it's so troubling to write in multiple 1st POVs, not to mention, it'll probably be confusing to you readers. That's all~!**


	2. A Letter From the Future?

**A/N: Many thanks for those who took the time to read, favorite, and follow A Manga to Reality! Support really motivates me to update on fanfics! Ah yes, some may notice from the 1st chapter and summary, I changed them up. I think that this new summary sounds a bit more compelling, not to mention that I realized 3rd person omniscent would be best for writing this story. 1st person multiple would be kinda confusing for readers to follow. **

neryssaguest: Hey this is my first time around reading this story but I think it's great, it really gets my mind turning with endless possibilities.

Anyway I will try to read more of this when you post so don't you dare do anoter rewrite. Grr silly rewrites ruining my fun.

See yah and make sure you keep writing on this story.

**Thank you for reviewing! Don't worry, I won't be doing a rewrite, cuz I'm pretty confident that my writing style improved enough to the point where I don't need to do another one. But hey, ya never know. Thank you for reviewing once again, and I hope you'll continue reading and reviewing future chapters.**

* * *

**~Chapter Two~**

_Wow, for the little brother of a supposedly great chess player, this little guy needs a lot of training and lessons in strategy planning. _Dena thought, surveying the board. Mokuba stares impatiently at Dena. "C'mon Dena," He moans melodramatically, throwing himself halfway across the leather armchair he's sitting in. "You're taking five minutes to fan-freaking decide your next move!"

"Well," Dena says, grabbing her bishop, and moving it halfway across the board. "Sometimes taking your time, is the best valid option, especially when it comes to chess." She points at the bishop to his King. "Check."

"Eh...oh gee, that was the _third_ time you checked me!" Dena patiently waits for Mokuba to register what has to take place on the board. His huge eyes go from irritance to disbelief pretty quickly. Dena allows herself to smirk. "W-woah! There's no way for me to move my King around…"

"...Which means that you have to move your queen to block my bishop's attack."

"...Which means you can get my queen with your knight in your turn!" Mokuba finishes, bug-eyed.

"That's right."

Red is flushing at either side of Mokuba's cheeks. "Ooh...that is so not cool!"

Dena shrugs. "What can ya do, Mokuba-kid?"

"T-There has to be another way! There has to be!" He exclaims, determination sparking in his wide, dark blue eyes, as they survey the chess board.

Dena lets herself sit there patiently, letting Mokuba trying to desperately find a way to avoid this predictament. There are a couple - but too small for Mokuba to actually see or figure out, due to his hastiness and impulsiveness. Once Dena takes his queen, Mokuba will be intimidated for sure. This is just one of the hundred chess strategies that Dena comes up with. Take the queen, the opponent gets intimidated, and from there, Dena slowly picks off the opponent's chess pieces. It's a pretty easy strategy to use on intermediate or beginner chess player like Mokuba.

She smiles to herself. She still has those skills.

At this point, Mokuba gave up on trying to worm his way out of the cornered situation, and reluctantly moves his queen to block the bishop's attack. A smile of contentment is on Dena's face, as she takes the queen with her knight. "Thank you very much."

"Grrrr…" Mokuba growls, clenching his small hands.

"Give up yet, Mokuba-kid?"

"Are you kidding me? Never!"

Dena chuckles. "Alright kiddo, I admire your spirit. It's your move."

She watches Mokuba as he glares at the chess board, trying to figure out a new strategy. Funny, to Dena, this Mokuba-kid reminds her so much of herself when she was younger, beginning chess. Around his age (estimating that he was around ten or eleven years old), she was already excelling at 8th grade algebra, no biggie for her - but when introduced to the game of chess being challenged by her father, she _completely _and _utterly_ failed at the game.

Dena hates failing.

From that point forward, Dena resolved it upon herself to understand the game - and managed to beat her father in 5th grade, finally, who was the grandmaster of chess of five states in America. _Good ol' times. No doubt that Mokuba-kid would probably be a good chess player - maybe not as good as me, but with more training and losses, he'll learn. _

However, thinking about her father and those nostalgic memories - that familiar, tugging feeling returns to Dena. She wasn't used to such a feeling. _I still have no idea where I am. What am I gonna do after I finish the game? _She asked herself. Both are deeply absorbed into the game, hardly unaware of their surroundings. They hardly heard some footsteps entering the room.

"Mokuba, who is this?" A new voice asks.

Mokuba and Dena turn their heads to the direction of the new voice. There, standing in the doorway, is a tall, brooding, and serious-faced character. Steely, cold, ice-blue eyes look piercingly at Dena through the neat tufts of brunette hair covering all of his forehead. The tall man wears a black trenchcoat, the coat tails flaring behind him, reminding Dena of a vampire or something. She couldn't help but jump a little at the blue stare - as if this tall stranger were staring into the depths of her soul and judging her. _Yikes. _

Mokuba looks guilty of charge in his face. "This? Uhm, just an acquaintance, Adena Kemp. She's playing chess with me." He turns to Dena, waving his arm over to the man with shocking blue eyes. "This," He begins proudly. "Is my older brother, Seto Kaiba."

Dena nods, smiling at the man. "Heya there, Seto. Your brother told me so much about you. The greatest chess player of Japan, eh?" She extends a hand, fully expecting for the other to take it.

Mokuba noticeably flinches when Dena refers to his older brother by his first name. The man, Seto Kaiba, raises an eyebrow at Dena's chummy friendliness. "Do not refer to me, by my first name, stranger." He says briskly, his blue eyes narrowing. He momentarily glances down at Dena's extending hand - and can you believe it, _sneers_ at it! - and looks back to Mokuba. "Mokuba, how did she manage to get through security, twenty floors of KaibaCorp tower, and make it in here, to my very office?" He asks with that cold, deep voice.

Dena lets her hand drop, staring indignantly at Mokuba's older brother. _Really, who does this dude think he is?!_ Dena thought with incredulity. She looks back and forth between the two Kaiba brothers, who are both having a small bickering with each other. _The heck are these two related in anyway? Mokuba made out his older brother to seem like a saint - ain't no prince in any way!_ Childishly, she stuck her tongue out at Seto Kaiba.

"...C'mon Seto, she's not a freaking assassin sent to kill us! If she was, she would've done it a long time ago when you weren't here!" Mokuba argues.

"Mokuba, you can't get friendly with a complete stranger that somehow managed to get into my office!" Kaiba hisses back.

"Well," Mokuba crosses his arms, trying to be stubbourn. "We're playing chess. Can I at least finish the game with her?"

Kaiba momentarily eyes the chessboard. Raise of the eyebrow. Dena raises her own, seeing him observing their game. After getting to know Kaiba for a good minute, she notes that this was first form of expression she ever saw on this pompous stranger's face. "And you're _losing._" Kaiba says to Mokuba.

"Yeah, well, I'll figure something out!"

"Maybe I should make you take those private chess lessons again…"

"Noooo, Seto, I have a social life!"

"Having a social life is no excuse for you to not extend the horizons of your knowledge…"

Watching these two brothers, Dena can finally see the brotherly resemblance and relationship going on between them. And that this Seto Kaiba doesn't seem to be so much of a jerk when talking to his brother. To add on...she continues to watch the brothers talk with each other. It's almost like her and her sister, Brooke. Not so much with the bickering, cuz Dena does most of that - her older sister is too quiet and passive to actually ever scold Dena, but does have protectiveness and wiseness over her.

Thinking of her older sister sends feelings of...what...longing...and emptiness in her chest? _It's so weird to think that my whole family is back in Los Angelos, doing their whole ordinary biz, while I'm here in Japan, this weird place. What are they doing right now? Do they realize I'm missing?_ Dena looks at the digital clock placed above the TV. 3:47. What is she going to do after this chess game is over…? No where to stay, no money, probably no identification papers...yeah, Dena has absolutely nothing.

"_Fine."_ Kaiba's loud voice, snaps her out of her thoughts. She sees his strolling over to his desk, placing his briefcase upon it. "Just until four o'clock Mokuba, you can play your little chess game. But when it turns four, I'm sending up security to escort her out of here." He says with a stern, rigid voice.

Dena gulps, Mokuba glancing apologetically at her. "Okay, bro." He says, dejectedly but obediently. Looking back to Dena, "It's your move."

She nods. 13 minutes left for this game to finish? No prob. She has to speed up the process. Dena carefully places her bishop in the far corner of the board. _Let's hope that Mokuba-kid's gonna forget about that. _

It goes on like this for a few more turns. Dena quietly placing some pieces on the board, here and there, where she is sure that Mokuba won't notice, while diverting his attention to her queen, in which she is moving all over the board, taking out a few of his pawns. All the while, Kaiba sits holed up at the desk, typing loudly away at a computer on his desk, picking up phone calls (and yelling at whoever was talking to him at the other end time to time), and typing EVEN MORE.

_This guy's the real deal business man. A bitter old business man. _She snickers at this.

At this point, Mokuba looks pretty nervous, as he stares down at the board. "Oh gee...this wouldn't be happening if I had my queen!" He whispers, wide-eyed.

Dena laughs. "Mokuba-kid, you don't need your queen to win every chess game. Besides, it's not very smart to depend on one piece to help you around the board. You gotta learn how to have a plan A, B, C, and so on, if your queen is taken out." Although Dena is not paying attention to Kaiba, she can hear his fast, heavy typing, slowing down a bit as she is talking to Mokuba. "Just look at it this way - if you take out a variable in a math problem, it doesn't mean that the whole thing falls apart. You just gotta find another way to solve it, get around it. Know what I mean, Mokuba-kid?"

Mokuba is pouting slightly, but nods. "Yeah. I guess."

She sighs. "Lookit here." Every competitive instinct inside, is screaming at her to not help the opponent, but Dena told them to shut up. She points at a knight of Mokuba's, and then points it at her bishop. She knows that if she tells him this, then her carefully intricated plan she performed on the chessboard will fall apart. _Whatever. _"You can take out my bishop. See it hiding there?"

Mokuba's eyes pop out of their sockets. "W-wah? You gotta be kidding me - how did I _not _notice that?" He slaps his forehead.

A laugh escapes Dena. "Like I said, you can't be hasty."

At this point, Kaiba stops completely typing. "Don't go easy on Mokuba." He states. Dena whips her head to Kaiba - but when looking back, he resides back to typing. _Weirdo. _She thought, shaking her head, and turning back to Mokuba. Instead of following Dena's direction, he moves his rook forward.

"Eh? Why didn'tcha take my bishop?"

Mokuba shrugs, his eyes looking off to the direction of his brother. "I got my pride, Dena." He winks, raising a thumb. "I'ma try to find a way to beat you - my own way! But...thanks for the tip anyways. That's cool."

Dena stares at Mokuba, bewildered for a moment. A smile returns on her face. "Okay. Respect kid."

"Hmph." She could've sworn she heard Kaiba grumble off in his corner.

* * *

"H-hey! You don't need to carry that - it looks awfully heavy!"

"It's okay, it's okay - I'll be more than glad to help you unpack!" Brooke says to a worried Ryou, as she heaves the truthfully heavy box across from the small hallway to the center of the living room. Relief goes through her, when she finally settles in on the floor. She wipes her brow, patting the box. "What's _in _here?" She gives out a light laugh.

Ryou kneels across her, his expression hopeful. "I think my RPG figurines are in here...let me see, if you please…" He takes the box opener, neatly and carefully tearing the cardboard down the center. Brooke feels her hairs prickle on her neck. _RPG figurines…_ It occurs to her. Those figurines that Ryou owns...objects that contain the souls of his former friends...Brooke feels the color drain from her face, thinking back to this fact.

_Where could that Millennium Ring be? _She thought, her eyes flitting around the room. Ryou wasn't wearing it when she came crashing into his apartment. So where is it? And what will Brooke do when Ryou finds it and puts it on…? _Relax Brooke, relax,_ The reassuring, rationale side of her head tells her. _You already know the Spirit's tricks. And you're not in the position of being a threat or close to Ryou… _She feels herself relax a bit, remembering this.

She watches Ryou eagerly open the cardboard box up, revealing it to be a sea of foam peanuts. She helps him, digging through the white things, and feels her hand close around a cold, metallic thing. Brooke raises this mystery object out of the box - and it's no other than the Millenium Ring. It is surprisingly heavy - though Brooke figured that since it is made of pure gold (and to her disgust, the dead melted bodies of people), it would be pretty heavy. The spikes hang around the triangle shape of the Ring, clinging lightly against each other as they hang in the air. Staring at the eye, Brooke had to admit, it was mesmerising. At the same time, there is that creeping feeling of danger that her intuition is alerting her.

A loud gulp escapes Brooke. Just what she needed!

Excitement glints across Ryou's eyes, when seeing the beautiful, golden Egyptian artifact. "My Ring!" Wordlessly, Brooke hands it to Ryou, with pursed lips. The glint that the golden object gives off, flashes across Ryou's pale face. Brooke desperately wanted to smack it out of his hands and yell at him to not put it on, but says nothing out of the fear of not offending him. He puts the cursed Ring around his neck, and smiles down at it proudly.

"Bakura…" Brooke says, trailing off. "Uhm, that...thing...looks so beautiful."

"It is, isn't it?" His eyes seem to glow as he stares down at the Ring. "It's called the Millennium Ring. It's an Egyptian artifact - pretty neat, right Brooke?"

"Y-yes, I guess. Where did you get it?" She asks, her voice shaky. Though, Ryou doesn't seem to notice, as he rummages through the cardboard box. He pulls out a couple of RPG figurines and foam peanuts. Ryou smiles fondly at them, brushing off the peanuts, and placing them carefully on the floor. Brooke joins in on helping, trying to ignore the shivering going down her spine, from the fact that some of these figurines held human _souls_ a.k.a, lives, within them…

"Well, my father gave it to me." He says. "A year ago."

"Oh. How could he get such a thing?" Brooke asks as casually as possible, putting aside a beautifully detailed warrior figurine, on the floor with the other growing number of toy figurines.

"He's an archaeologist. He happened to be on his travels in Egypt, and he discovered the Ring - he sent it to me as by birthday present."

"Okay, that's cool." Brooke takes a moment to stare at a figurine in her hands. It was no taller than her middle finger, carved out of wood and painted with detail. It was a magician figurine, a small wand in its hand. Unlike all of the other figurines she has seen so far, this one didn't have a generic expression - it had bright, orange eyes, along with an angry expression. It seemed to be looking straight at her, angry - or at least someone else. Behind those bright, fiery orange eyes - Brooke knows that there is an intelligence behind it. _This must be a figurine containing a soul. _Brooke shivers, and resists the urge to fling it across the room out of panic. She places it, this time, face down on the floor.

"Where's your dad now?" She asks. When in her world, Brooke always wondered where Bakura's parents was - especially his father. _The Japanese always seem to leave their kids alone on their own. _She thought with a frown. _But I can sympathize. It isn't so different from my parents…_

This time, Ryou doesn't seem to look at Brooke, as he busies himself, counting the RPG figurines.

"Somewhere in the deserts of Africa. I don't know."

_That's my cue to stop asking about his personal life. _Brooke sees the flashing warning signs at Ryou's sudden indifference coming to the subject of his father.

"What about your parents, Brooke?" Ryou asks suddenly. "Your life in America? How's it like there? I mean, even if you do come from another dimension or something, America's the same like in this world, right?"

Brooke nods and shrugs. "Yeah, pretty much. America's nothing special, really. I guess, more free priviliges, you can say. Pretty warm in the city of Los Angelos. Not overcrowded like New York. It was okay back there. My parents were both engineers, so my family and I lived in a pretty big house."

"Engineers?" Ryou raises his eyebrows, obviously impressed. "They must be pretty smart."

"Yeah. They are." _Unfortunately. _"What's the interest with America?"

Ryou gives a lopsided smile. "Well, I want to go there for college, if I happen to finish highschool here. I think I want to become a video game designer when I grow up, or something. I love games."

I nod at the dozens of groups of RPG figurines lying scattered at the floor next to us. "Hehe. That's apparent."

His cheeks turn a bit pink. "Yeah, it is, isn't it? Ever heard of Monster World?"

"Yeah. RPG, isn't it?"

"It is! Ever played it?"

_We're trekking dangerous waters here._ Her gaze turns to the Ring, hanging ever-so-innocently around his neck. It glints in the sunlight creeping through the windows, as if winking tauntingly at Brooke. The eye in the center seems to stare up at her, glinting mercilessly. Brooke secretly wondered if Yami Bakura was listening to every word that Ryou is engaging in the conversation with her. Does he watch Ryou all the time? She shudders at this possibility. "No. Not really. It's not popular back in America. Besides, I'm more into the card game, Duel Monsters."

Ryou's eyes lighten up once more, a wide smile appearing on his face. "Really?! I like that card game as well - it came out a many years back in Japan, and right now, it's starting to get popular. People are just starting to realize its existence - do you have a deck?"

Brooke shakes her head. "No. I haven't prepared one, in truth. I probably should." She takes out the last of an RPG figurine. "Is that all of them?"

A sheepish smile is given as an answer. "Uhm...I think there's three more boxes of my RPG figurines needed to be opened." He confesses.

"Three?! Oh gosh!" Brooke laughs lightly, looking at the boxes taking up half of the living room.

"Guilty as charged, I suppose."

"That's okay, it's no problem. But you don't mind…"

"Yes? What it it?"

"Do you think we can eat something…?" Brooke admits her hunger, embarrassed. For the past half hour, the hunger has been gnawing at her stomach. "I'm just starving...haha…"

"Of course! But, uhm...I hope you don't mind eating cup ramen," Ryou offers meekly, looking ashamed that he couldn't offer more decent food to his house guest.

"No, no!" Brooke jumps in, immediately noticing Ryou's shame. "It's no trouble! Honestly, anything is fine."

A smile of relief appears. "Ah. Okay, I'll get right down to it." He gets off, walking to the small kitchen in the corner of the apartment. Brooke lets out a small sigh, staring up at the ceiling. She wonder, still, where did she fall from? She still couldn't wrap the impossible idea, the now present reality for her - that she's in the Yu-Gi-Oh verse. Every YGO fans' dreams.

_Should this be count as a blessing? Or curse?_ She gazes at Ryou as he reads the instructions of the ramen on the cup. She stretches her legs, resting her chin on her hands. _No matter. I'm just going to make the best out of this new adventure - a vacation, an escape from reality if you will. _Despite the fact that Brooke is away from her family, her home, her world if you want to be more specific, she will enjoy this. And she'll be _so_ disappointed if this whole thing turns out to be a dream - reality's greatest joke.

Remembering that her purse is still slung over her shoulder, Brooke opens the flap. She sees her typical belongings - her ice cream sandwich designed shaped wallet, phone, a small manga book (she's always sure to carry a manga book around), chapstick...wait, what's this? An envelope? _I don't remember this being in here. _Brooke frowns, taking it out of her purse. She reads the back of the envelope. What she reads sends confusion through her.

'_To: Brooke Kemp_

_From: Brooke Kemp (10 Years From the Future)'_

Brooke rereads this, to be sure. _A letter from me? From the future? _Brooke examines the envelope for a stamp, postage, an address, anything - but only those black ink written words are all that is there. Come to think of it, the handwriting looks _too_ similar to Brooke's handwriting - neat, a bit swirly, and a curve at the 'p's.

_Is this some sort of prank? _Brooke thought to herself, as she opens up the letter, curiosity getting the best of her.

* * *

Dena picks off Mokuba's other knight. Her bishops, one knight, queen, and rooks perfectly surround Mokuba's king at either direction. "Checkmate." She states. _With just two minutes to spare._ She thought, glancing momentarily at the clock. 3: 57. _Boom baby. _

Mokuba's jaw drops open, sitting back. "_Woah._ You just put that - and then that was there - and then you took that away - !" He babbles, looking starstruck as he gawks at the board.

She shrugs and smiles cockily. "Like I said Mokuba-kid - I'm damn good at chess and I damn well know it." She turns to Kaiba, who is sitting back in his chair, looking both at them with mild interest.

"Ugh...sorry Seto, I lost."

"That cuts it, you need more chess tutoring." He says curtly, going back to typing.

"Noooo…" Mokuba groans burying his face into a nearby pillow. "You're so cruel Seto."

Kaiba heartlessly types on, blue eyes glued to the screen. _Weird how he isn't calling up security. It's already a minute past 4 o' clock. _At that moment, Dena realizes this was her chance. If this hot-shot Kaiba guy was such a rich person - that means he must have a huge hell of a mansion or something. _It doesn't hurt if I crash their place, right? They must live in a huge place. _Dena thought, trying to suppress her guilt at even thinking this. _But what options do I have! _Dena yells at her guilty side.

_It's not like I can hang out in the streets - I'm in some other freaking country, in a city I didn't even know exist! It ain't so appealing to wander around the streets in the dead of night in a city I don't even know. _Dena helps Mokuba set up the chess board while carefully thinking this through. She momentarily glances back to Kaiba. _UGH, I'm actually turning to the option where I might have to stay over with THAT guy. _She thought rolling her eyes, so hard, that Dena thought for a moment that they'll fall out of her head. A sigh escapes her. _Yet like I said, my options are limited. But…_

She looks back at him again. _He does not seem like the type to give out charity. Pretty stuck up…_ An idea clicks in her mind, when she looks back at the chess board, now returned to its original state. She jumps to her feet, turning sharply to Seto Kaiba, and points straight at him. "I challenge you to a chess game!"

"No."

"Ehhhhh?! Shot down?!" Dena feels her left eye twitch. She tries regaining her composure, pushing her heavy red glasses up her nose. "Please. Are you turning down a fight?"

"No. I don't want to waste my time playing games with a complete stranger."

"Urgh…!" Dena can hear Mokuba laughing behind her, at his brother's incompetent attitude. _I swear…! _

"C'mon, Seto," Mokuba chirps up, much to Dean's surprise. "She's pretty good. She won _eleven _chess tournamnets. One more than you!" He giggles, clearly trying to test his older brother's reaction.

Kaiba does not so much glance up from his computer. "Mokuba, she's a complete stranger. For all you know, she could be lying."

"Yeah, but she won against me!"

"...That was expected."

"HEY!"

"C'mon Mister Kaiba!" Dena says, putting her hands on her hips.

Due to the fact that Dena called him 'Mister Kaiba,' somehow catches his attention. He glances up, raising an eyebrow. " 'Mister Kaiba'?" He questions, deadpan.

"What? You were all touchy-touchy when I called you by your first name."

"That was because it was disrespectful to someone like _me._ For someone that is almost the same age as me, calling me that makes me feel...old."

"Like _you?"_ Dena repeats, tauntingly repeating his gravelly voice. "Okay, what _should_ I call you?"

"Plain ol' Kaiba. Duh." Mokuba calls out.

Another eye twitch. "O-kay...so Kaiba. Give a chance. Let's play a game. Are you just too chicken to play against me?"

"Chicken? Really?" Kaiba deadpans once more. "Of all clever insults and wit you can come up with, Kemp,"

_Seriously, he just called me 'Kemp?' What is he, a British villain or something?_ Dena, appalled.

"You call me a _chicken._ How more childish can you _be_?"

"Grrr…" Mokuba must've sense Dena's retaliation, and grabs her hand, holding her back from jumping Kaiba. "Lemme at him, lemme at him Mokuba-kid!" She hollers.

"Tch." He sneers at her, cocky. "God, you are _so childish." _Kaiba surveys Dena with his cold blue eyes. A cold smile is curled onto his lips. "Your short size doesn't help that much either."

"GRRRRR!" Dena swore, if lasers can shoot out of her eyes, she would shoot them at Seto Kaiba, straight through that fat head of his. However, she regains composure, and stops fighting against Mokuba's grips. She lets out a loud breath. "Does it hurt to play _one_ game?" She demands. "The chess game will be as long as fifteen minutes, no more, no less." Dena states. A gasp comes from Mokuba.

"Fifteen minutes?!" She hears the little boy repeat.

Kaiba raises an eyebrow, some of his indifference breaking away. "Are you _that_ reckless to put such high stakes for a chess game?"

"Are you _that_ confident to think that you'll actually win with these high stakes?!" Dena shoots back.

Kaiba crosses his arms. "Hmph." His eyes scan over the computer screen, then back at her. "Very well. Fifteen minutes."

Dena feels temporary triumph. She got that stubborn heck of guy to play a game with her. "Wait a moment there - here's the deal!" She says to Kaiba, and points straight at him. "If I win - I get to stay at your place for a week!" _Until I can figure things out, and get my parents to come the heck over here and bring me back to America!_ She thought with determination. Kaiba stops in his tracks, shooting a deadly look at Dena.

"Are you crazy?!" Mokuba whisper-screams to Dena, looking wide-eyed at her.

"Why should _I _make such a bet?" Kaiba questions, his stare looking through her.

"Uhm...well…"

"Pfft. Ahahhaha." A short, hysterical laugh escapes Kaiba. "How funny. _She _thinks she _can _win." He says to Mokuba. "_Whatever. _Humor me, Kemp." He rises, quickly striding over to Dena and Mokuba. He sits down on a leather chair, taking the black pieces side. "I'll go along with this child's play. Beat me in 15 minutes." Kaiba sets his digital watch. "If the time is up before either of us win, you'll get kicked out of here. If you lose, Kemp, then I'll report you to police for breaking and entering my office."

"W-what?!" She exclaims, slamming her fists down the table.

Mokuba looks wide-eyed at his brother. "Big brother, isn't that too drastic? She didn't break in!"

"It's alright, Mokuba." He looks at Dena with that smug smirk of his. "Right now, before we play, she has a chance to back out." Kaiba looks dead straight into Dena's eyes. "I'm giving you a chance, foolish little girl. You can back out of this game - that you're _sure_ to lose," He adds on with another sickly, confident smile. "And I'll promptly call up security to escort you out of Kaiba Corp tower, and we'll act like this never happened. Or, if you're _that_ crazy and bull-headed, then the conditions are still on. What do you say?"

Dena stares down at the board. Then at Kaiba. Then at the worried face of Mokuba. She grinds her teeth. She grabs her knight and sets it forward on the board. "_Your move_, Seto!" She spits out as pridefully and abruptly as possible.

His eyes widen, clearly surprised. Afterall, any person with common sense would've backed out on these conditions - especially if they have to play a game against the Seto Kaiba. Luckily, Dena Kemp has no idea as to who the teenage billionaire was, and is confident in her skills and wit. She plops down on the seat across from him, looking him dead in the eye the entire time. Kaiba's expression falls slack, a deadly competitive glint shining in his eyes.

"Truly foolish." He presses the start button on his watch. "Challenge accepted."

* * *

Brooke stares at the mixture of noodles and soggy looking vegetables, floating around in the golden liquid mixture inside her cup. All of her appetite was lost ever since she opened that accursed letter. _Should I believe it? Is it true? Is it some type of prank? _She thought, in a daze, as she stirs around her wooden chopsticks inside the styrofoam cup. Another voice tells her, _What the heck type of prank would guess the situation you're in right now?! Somehow, against all odds, it has to be true!_

She sighs shakingly, putting down her cup, gripping both of her arms. "Are you okay?" Ryou asks through a mouthful of ramen. He's already on his third cup - Brooke hardly ate a spoonful. "You haven't eaten at all."

"Y-yeah." Brooke rises to her feet. "If you can excuse me, I have to go to the bathroom."

Ryou nods, pointing to a door next to his bedroom. Brooke smiles weakly, and walks straight into it. Once locking the door, she plops on the closed toilet seat, and whips out the envelope, ripping the contents of it out. The letter was thick - maybe thirty pages long! _That's just like you. Always so detailed in your notes._

Brooke holds her breath, her eyes scouring over the first page of the letter, to make sure that they were real.

_Dearest Me 10 Years Ago,_

_This is you, Brooke Kemp. I know, this is very hard to believe - but please hear me out. I am writing this, the future you, 10 years into the future. The matters of my life right now is of no concern at the moment - all I just know is that my life, right now, is full of regrets. Too full for me to actually move forward._

_It all starts today, September 23, where you enter the Yu-Gi-Oh verse._

Brooke stops reading at this part, squeezing her eyes shut. This was the part where she stopped reading before Ryou comes back with their lunch. For their entire meal, her mind was completely obssessing over the letter. She can somehow accept the impossible possibility and reality that she is now in the Yu-Gi-Oh world - but the idea that her future self knows of this event, was mind boggling.

This was no prank, was it?

Brooke takes a deep breath, knowing that she must continue reading forward, if she wants to find answers.

_I'm sure that you have many questions as to how I sent this letter to you, how I know this information, and why you must have this letter. Those are many questions I will answer and some I can't answer. But for now, you have two objectives: Please erase all of the regrets I have caused in the Yu-Gi-Oh World. _

Regrets? Brooke leans her head on the tile wall of the bathroom. What does her older self mean? Regrets? Not to mention, regrets that _she_ has caused? What could have Brooke possibly done in the Yu-Gi-Oh world to make her future self to regret so much and send a letter to her? Brooke reads the next condition that the letter asks of her - and nearly drops the pages of the letter from her hands.

Pounding. Her heart is pounding. Her head. Her breathing speeding up. What she read next...it's not possible. It can't be.

Scared, Brooke forces her eyes to re-read that last line on the paper. Her eyes confirm this.

_Most of all, please save Ryou Bakura from suicide._

* * *

**A/N: Yeah...a lotta drama here folks. Review please! They are very much appreciated! And I will see you next chapter!**


	3. Duel Monsters?

**A/N: Hellooooooo! Sorry for the incredibly late update. I've been playing Duel Monsters online, and honestly its addicting. Not to mention, a great way to learn the ways of the game. It doesn't seem to be like a complicated children's card game anymore. XD Thank you for those who have read, followed, favorited, and reviewed A Manga to Reality! Support really invigorates me, so make sure to keep it coming! Anyway, let's get on with the reviews and chapter! **

neryssaguest: Hey first I want to thank you for putting my review in the A/N this chapter it made me feel sorta speacil cause no-one' s done that before. Anyway I promised you a review and your gonna get one.

Wow can't wait to see if Dena will beat Seto and if she does, oh he's face would be priceless. I wonder what Brooke's gonna do about the letter and maybe some chapter soon the sisters might meet the rest of the Yugioh gang, if so I can't wait.

I don't keep an eye out for spelling mistakes (to busy enjoying the story to take any notice of them) but I didn't see any. I love this plot and I hope you write another chapter soon because I can't wait (sorry for saying wait so many times) to R&amp;R the next one. See yah!

**Hehe, thank you for the long and detailed review! I always make sure to address my reviewers in A/N in the beginning of every chapter. It helps me for friendships with them! :) Sorry for the long wait - here's your next chapter! **

XxHeartMenderxX: OMG this is so good. Mainly because you put a twist on the cliche (but lovable) Self/OC inserts. I can't wait to see how this develops. Ryou and Bakura are my favorites in this series. It makes me really happy that they didn't land in Kame Games. That's just too easy. Also thank you for keeping it in third person. You are correct in assuming it is easier to read though the different POV changes. But seriously, this is amazing. I'm really looking forward to what comes!

**Thank you so very much! I wanted to put a twist on 'girls land into their favorite anime/movie/TV show/book' kinda thing. I wanted to write this type of fic so badly, but I had to keep on making re-writes because I kept on creating Mary-Sues and flat characters. So I came up with THIS! I feel so original! X) Ryou and Bakura are my favorite characters too! I so badly want to read and write more fics about them. I'm glad that third person is more convenient for you. Thank you reviewing this chapter once again, and I hope you can review more in the future!**

* * *

**~Chapter 3~**

Dena learned a few new things today:

_**1\. Seto Kaiba can be beaten in chess**_

_**2\. Seto Kaiba is indeed rich and has a huge freaking mansion**_

_**3\. Seto Kaiba has chefs that can serve great chocolate chip cookies**_

_I may have hit jackpot. This guy's place is HUGE. _Dena thought, munching a cookie through a grin. She kicks her legs up on the fancy velvet red couch in the rich, fancy looking guest room. Kaiba just left her on this floor, one of the many floors of his fancy-pancy mansion. Well, not left, more likely stormed off and disappeared off the face of the earth. But thats fine by Dena. She smirks to herself, as she stuffs another cookie in her mouth, thinking back to earlier as to how she beat the oh-so great Seto Kaiba in his little chess game.

_That guy's ego is his ultimate downfall. _Dena snickers. It was simple really, when you look at it in Dena's perspective. Any normal person probably would've been intimidated by the Seto Kaiba playing chess against them with high stakes of possibly being sent to jail - but not to Dena. She's damn good at chess, and she's not a fool to let herself be intimidated by some hot-shot guy.

_The strategy is simple, really. _She straightens her heavy red glasses up the ridge of her nose, then takes a huge sip of milk accompanying the plate of cookies, the chocolate taste washing away from her mouth. Wiping her mouth, she flips on the TV to some random program, and lets herself get lost in the blaring sounds emitting from it. _Just make myself a non-intimidated threat, a fool, a simple beginner at chess, and it throws guys with huge egos like Seto Kaiba off their guard. Haha, sucker!_

All Dena had to do was recklessly sacrifice a few pieces, make herself seem like a beginner to Seto Kaiba - then before the last eight minutes of the game passed, Dena managed to take place three pawns in the back row, converting them to queens. Like a boss! Boy oh boy, did Dena wish she had her polaroid with her - she would've payed a hundreds just to see that face of humiliation on Kaiba's face! So quickly did she surprised him.

_Not like I used this strategy a couple of times before. _Dena crosses her leg on the comfortable couch, leaning back. Through random thoughts floating around in her mind, Dena recalled a time when she was at a chess tournament. She was in the top six, the youngest at the tournament. She was only eleven years old at the time. Her opponent was some suave teenager. He looked like a rich, pampered, sissy boy. Probably taught by tutors ever since he could lift a chess piece. _No real skill. _Dena thought, frowning.

'_How can a little girlie like you be in a tournament like this?' He said to her, with a sleazy smirk. 'Little kids can't play chess. Especially girls.'_

Dena beat him in twenty minutes flat. The jackass.

_Oh, how the mighty always fall. _She thought, giggling. Her field of vision is blocked, when a butler appears in front of her.

"Are you done with that, miss?" He asks, in his polite butler voice.

Dena glances up, nodding. "Ah yeah," She says, as he picks up the empty dish where the cookies used to be and the pitcher of milk. "Do you have a phone around here? One that can make international calls?"

"Yes, miss."

The butler disappears and comes back with a phone in no time. "Tell me miss, where do you wish to make a phone call?"

"America, Los Angelos. 1001, thats the city code. The number is 646-111-3456." _My dad's number. _Dena thought, watching the butler dial this. He holds the phone next to his ear for a few moments. He puts it down, shaking his head.

"Sorry miss, this phone number does not seem to exist."

"Eh?!" _Did dad change his number or something? Oh well, there's mom. _"917-874-3112." Dena recites to the butler.

Once again he dials. He gives her a strange look. "Miss, this number does not exist as well."

"W-what?" Dena bites her bottom lip. She licks it, and goes on reciting few more numbers to the butler. From her parent's work numbers to her little brother's nanny's number, the butler gives her the same answer and report: this number does not exist. "You gotta be kidding me…" Dena mutters, wringing her hands. The butler stands there, looking impatient at this point. Though Dena doesn't notice. _This can't be possible…!_

"Uhm, may I please use a computer, if you have one?" Dena asks, jumping to her feet.

The butler sighs. "In the next room,, the study. Please make it quick miss."

Dena nods, running to the next room. She goes to Yahoo!, gmail, hotmail, all of those email sites where her parents have accounts for - "How can these sites not exist?!" Dena yells, stumbling backwards. The butler pops into the study, looking confused.

"Excuse me, miss?"

Dena looks wildly over to him. "This has to be a joke, right? I mean, this isn't possible. I land somehow in Japan, I don't remember anything after my fight with my sister, my parents' phone numbers don't exist, but now Yahoo doesn't exist?! Just what is happening here?"

The butler looks worriedly over to her. "Miss, I have no idea what you speak of. Do you need to lie down?"

Dena doesn't reply, and sits down on a nearby chair.

The butler lingers for a couple of minutes. Then leaves, seeing Dena unresponsive.

She puts a hand to her forehead, staring at the ceiling. _For the first time in forever, I have no idea what to do. I have no explanation. I have no logic. _

A loud breath escapes her. "Oh gee, what am I going to do…?"

"Hey, there you are!"

Dena raises her head, and sees Mokuba enter the room. "Oh...hey."

"Finally found you! Here's dinner!" Coming after Mokuba, a different butler rolls in a cart of steaming food.

"Oh...thanks Mokuba-kid."

He nods at the butler to leave, in which he does. Mokuba turns back to Dena, pointing out the food. "I wasn't really sure what to get you, so I ordered the chefs to make a buffet!"

Dena nods, as she listens to Mokuba point out each dish excitedly. "What, you don't eat in a dining hall or something?"

Mokuba shakes his head, picking up a plate of steaming macoroni and cheese with bacon bits. "Nope. We hardly use it anyway - not unless if Seto has to have dinner with some business friends or something."

"Geez louise." Dena laughs weakly, worry looming over the back of her head. "Doesn't your brother live?"

The little boys glares indignantly at Dena, through a mouthful of food. "He has to work! His job is pretty cool, you know."

Dena rolls her eyes. "I don't think my dream is to become a CEO."

"Really? Someone who seems pretty smart like you must want to become something great."

"Meh." Dena stares at the many plates of food.

"Meh? Watcha mean by 'meh'?"

"I dunno." She shrugs, swinging her arms behind her head. "Everything just seems so pointless and boring to me. Like, way too boring for someone of my intellect."

Mokuba raises an eyebrow, scraping up a last spoonful of macoroni. "Pfft and you think my brother is full of himself. I believe he has met his match!" He points his spoon to Dena's direction. She jumps in her seat, frowning at the little boy.

"Scuse' me? That jerk is way outta my league!"

He rolls his eyes in answer, moving on to a plate of french fries and a hamburger. "_Please. _You may have beaten my big brother at chess - but you'll never beat him at Duel Monsters!" He proclaims the last part proudly, quickly stuffing a french fry in his mouth after.

Dena stares at Mokuba for a second. _Duel Monsters? The heck is that?_ However, before Dena can ask what this so called game was, somebody else walks into the room. And its none other than Dena's favorite guy - Seto Kaiba. Not.

His steely blue eyes fixate on Mokuba, barely glancing over to Dena. She snorts to herself. _Probably still sore after our lil' game. Hehe. _

"There you are. What are you doing here? I don't want you near this..._girl._"

"Excuussse me?" Dena says, getting up to her feet. "Way to be polite to a guest."

Kaiba scoffs. Truth be told, he is kinda towering over Dena… _So freaking tall! Then again, who isn't…_ Dena thought, her teeth grinding at the fact of her short height. "Guest? More like an unwelcomed one."

"MMmmmph!"

His long trenchcoat flaps dramatically, when he turns back to Mokuba. "Go back to my office. We hardly know this girl."

"Well, we do now." Mokuba answers, frowning slightly.

"No, we don't." Dena can practically hear ice shooting out of Kaiba's mouth when he says this. "What were you doing here, anyway?"

"I just wanted to bring dinner to Dena." Mokuba wolfs down his last bite of burger. Seeing the dozens of other plates of foods in the cart, Dena feels her stomach rumble. _That baked potato and roasted ham sure looks heavenly… _She thought, mouth watering. "...Plus I was telling her how she'd never beat you at Duel Monsters!" She hears Mokuba quickly add on, probably in an attempt to appease Kaiba's annoyance.

"Heh. That, for sure, _is _true."

Dena's gaze on the baked potato and ham, instantly breaks when she hears the smirk in Kaiba's voice. Her head snaps to the direction of Kaiba, who is looking down on her once again. She frowns, her neck slightly aching from looking up so much. "The heck is Duel Monsters anyway?"

The last french fry in Mokuba's hand drops melodramatically. Kaiba simply raises an eyebrow. On cue, the brothers both glance at each other, this time with smirks. A bad feeling creeps back to Dena. "Uhm...care to explain?"

* * *

"Ah...there we go!" Brooke says proudly, heaving the last box of who-even-knows-what, into Ryou's bedroom. She glances over to her bedroom that Ryou insisted upon her taking, across the other side of the room. It looks completely bare, empty of anything except a bed and a desk. Brooke meekly tried to fight Ryou's offer of giving her the bigger bedroom - but he insisted, so Brooke relented.

She watches Ryou as he counts yen on the kitchen counter. _He's just that nice. Kind to someone he doesn't even know. I bet he's the type of guy that would give the shirt off his back to another guy, and wouldn't ask for anything in return. _Brooke leans against the wall, clutching her purse. The thoughts of the mysterious letter, flashes in her mind like a foreboding reminder. She clenches it tighter.

She sees the Millenium Ring dangling from Ryou's neck, watching him. The eye seemed to stare at her. Shuddering, Brooke's glances away, fixating her stare at Ryou's face. _How, how can someone like him commit suicide? He's one of the strongest characters in the Yu-Gi-Oh series, even if it isn't obvious. _Her eyes trail back to the Ring. _Strong in his own quiet way. The things he had to deal with alone. Even when it seemed all the burden of the world was placed upon him, he pulled through. _

_He wouldn't commit suicide. That's not the Ryou Bakura I know. _Her nails dig into her palms. Brooke fixes the red scarf around her neck, loosening it up. _Then again...the letter knew that I'm in the Yu-Gi-Oh world. And it knows that today is September 23rd. This is surely no prank. But should I believe it, that's the question? _

Another possibility flashes in her mind.

_Could it be...Ryou committed suicide because _I'm _here? Disturbing the presence of the Yu-Gi-Oh world?_ A gasp escapes her, her hands flying to her mouth.

Ryou's head snaps up, looking over to her. "You said something, Brooke?"

"A-ah, n-no…."

"Oh, alright then. Oh yes, how do you feel about going shopping for school supplies tomorrow? I start school on Tuesday."

"Yeah, that's no problem with me…"

Ryou smiles and nods. "Alright, good. We'll probably go out at noon. Now if you please, I'm going to take a shower. Excuse me." He takes off his Ring, and places in on the counter. Then, he picks up a change of clothes lying on the couch, and shuts himself in the bathroom. Brooke breathes out, sinking to the floor. She shakingly takes out the letter, and stares at the envelope with her too-similar hand-writing.

Taking a deep breath, she opens the letter. _Maybe the letter can tell me how he committed suicide._ She skips to the last few pages, skimming over the dates neatly labeled in each section. Brooke always was so organized...Her eyes finally catch the word 'suicide' under the date of September 23rd, 2011. Brooke feels goosebumps rising. The same date when she entered Yu-Gi-Oh, four years from today…Bracing herself, Brooke forces herself to read the words.

But they tear away quickly, when she slams the letter on the floor. _I don't want to read it...I don't want to know the future…_ She huddles herself against the wall, squeezing her eyes shut. _If...If I'm really in the Yu-Gi-Oh world...I want to enjoy it...I want to interact with the characters...I want to be their friends, I want to have fun, I want to go on adventures with them, I want to escape from reality and what was my former life. _Tears build up behind Brooke's eyes. _I no longer want to be Brooke Kemp…_ She sees the image of a crying little girl in her bedroom, all alone in an empty house, Yu-Gi-Oh manga scattered around her.

_I don't want to be pathetic Brooke Kemp anymore...I want to be a new person in this world. _

A tear releases from one of Brooke's eyes.

Her gaze drops over the letter, lying on the floor, as if waiting to be read.

"I'm scared…" She whispers. She looks at the letter. "I don't want you to be real. I don't want to believe you." Another tear. More follow. Brooke buries her face into her knees. _Because if you're real...you're asking something big from someone like me. I'm not a hero. I'm not those type of people that can solve a problem so easily, someone who can save the day, someone who can let alone save someone from suicide. Unlike Dena..._She remembers her younger sister, smiling her confident strong smile.

_If she were here, she would know what to do. She won't be afraid. _Brooke looks back to the letter, sniffling. _If this letter is real and really asking me to save Ryou...how can my older self expect me to not repeat her same mistakes? I'll…_ Brooke lies over, closing her eyes.

_I'll only screw things up._

* * *

"...and that's how you play Duel Monsters!" Mokuba grins to Dena. "Any questions?"

Dena blinks. She just finished her dinner. And she was more likely concentrating on her potato rather than Mokuba, who was explaining the concept of Duel Monsters. For a good ten minutes. All the while, Kaiba sits behind the desk, eating a fancy looking plate of beef fillet. Through his whole meal, his eyes look over to Dena time to time, a small smile of smugness curled onto his lips. She grits her teeth, thinking of that smugness.

She turns back to Mokuba. "Uhm...I don't think so."

The smile disappears from his face, replaced with a frown. "...Were you paying attention at all, Dena?"

"Ahaha, yeah!" She can feel the eyes of Kaiba trained on her. Dena pretends to not notice him. She smiles cheekily at Mokuba. "Soooo...we can play now, I guess."

Mokuba raises an eyebrow, crossing his arms. "Do you even have a deck, Dena?"

"...A deck?"

Light chuckling is heard from Kaiba. Dena spins to him, eyes narrowed. _Cheeky rich boy…_ "That's alright, Mokuba. She may make up her own deck, right now." He pulls open a drawer, and pulls out a small briefcase, slamming it on the table, oh-so-dramatically. He clicks it open, revealing a packed briefcase of trading cards. Dena uncertainly peers into it. Kaiba rests his chin of his hands. "Take your pick, Kemp." He cocks his head, his famous trademark smirks ever so apparent. "You need to pick forty cards to make up your deck - of course you would know that, if you were listening, right?"

"Pfft! Yeah, of course I was listening!" _Not. _

"Alright then. You have ten minutes to assemble your deck. I already have mine."

"Okay then." Dena skims over the cards. _Why does this seem so familiar? Hmm...Duel Monsters._ One card catches her eye. She picks up, squinting closer at it, reading the description. _Dark Magician. _"Hmmm…" Dena snaps her fingers, eyes widening. _I recognize this! I saw this card in Brooke's weird comic books. _Dena recalled the time she toddled into Brooke's room. She saw Brooke drawing the card, out of some comic book or something. _Yu-Gi-Oh, _was it?

_Weird! Never thought this game would exist in real life! _Dena thought, bewildered. She grins, looking at the attack points of the Dark Magician. _Aww yeah, look at this sucka! _She glances back up to Kaiba, who is watching her closely with an amused smile on his face. _I'm gonna beat you again, Kaiba-bum!_ For the next ten minutes, Dena carefully assembles her deck.

"Done." She states aloud.

"Good." Kaiba takes out a board, designed with rectangles here and there. "This is our field. Shuffle and place your deck there." He points at a rectangle to the side. Dena gathers up her cards, and slowly shuffles it. She enviously eyes Kaiba, who shuffles his deck at the speed of light. _How many times has this guy played this game anyway?_ Dena thought, absent mindedly placing the deck to the side. Mokuba drags a seat to the side, plopping on it. A bowl of popcorn sits in his lap. Dena gives the kid a stink eye. _He's really taking his ol' entertainment in this._

"Draw five cards." Kaiba orders.

Dena does so. Seeing the cards in her hands, she smiles. Man, she drew good cards!

Kaiba observes her, an eyebrow raised. "Just to remind you, both of us have 2000 life points." He nods to Mokuba. "Mokuba here will keep track of the score. Now...How about you go first, Kemp? Ladies first, as they always say.

"Let's duel!"

"Alright!"

Dena and Kaiba yell this at the same time. They look at each other weirdly.

"Uhm...watcha said?"

"...It's a thing you say in this game."

"...That's stupid."

"Just play the damn game."

"Ahahahaha!" Mokuba cackles off to the side, munching on popcorn.

Dena and Kaiba flash the boy a deadly look. He quickly shuts up, mostly from the look that his older brother gave him.

"Looks like you're gonna regret this!" Dena picks a trap card, _Bad Reaction to Simonchi. _"I play, Bad Reaction to Simonchi!"

Kaiba bursts out laughing. Which creeped Dena out. Lots. She learned yet another few things:

_**1\. Seto Kaiba can laugh**_

_**2\. He looks pretty damn scary when laughing**_

_**3\. His laughing isn't even normal in the first place**_

_**4\. His laughing isn't even the type that is produced when you're happy, it's more like the type of, 'Ha-ha, you're suffering' type of laughing**_

"Ah, Kemp," A toothy grin on Kaiba's face. Once again, creeping out Dena. "You cannot play a trap card without setting it."

"Oh...so...I can't activate it…?"

"No."

"...I knew that!" Dena sets it face down on the field, cheeks flushing. _God I feel like an ignoramus! Ugh...it looks like I can't use Upstart Goblin. At least I can set Marie. She'll give me 200 life points each turn! Haha, yeah!_ Dena sets down Marie in defense mode. "Uh, finished."

Kaiba draws. He glances down at his hand, and dramatically places a card upon the table. "I activate Mystical Space Typhoon!"

"Heyyyyyyy, I thought you said that we can't activate trap cards!" Dena interrupts.

Kaiba stares deadpan at Dena. "...Look at the card, Kemp."

Dena leans over, peering in to read the card. "...It's green."

"Read the damn description."

Dena squints closer. "It destroys one Spell or Trap card on the field...hey you can destroy my Bad Reaction, no fair! It's a trap card, isn't it?"

Kaiba gave her a look that can be read by, _'make another silly mistake and I tear you apart.'_

"Read it closer, Dena!" Mokuba calls out, struggling to contain laughter.

Dena scowls at him, and leans closer. "...Spell card." She reads aloud.

"Yes." Kaiba says impatiently. "It's a spell card, which means I can play it instantly."

"Ohhhhhh. AW MAN!" Dena exclaims, when Kaiba points at her face down Trap. She sighs heavily, putting it back to the Grave.

Kaiba shakes his head. "I cannot believe your incompetence."

"Well exxcuuuussee me!"

"Tch. I summon Dark Zorla, in attack mode! Attack your face down!"

"Hehe!" Dena happily puts Marie in the Grave.

Kaiba looks closely at it. "...You can't do that."

"Eh? Whaddya mean?"

He rolls his eyes so hard, that it looked like it'll fall out of his head. "That is a level five monster. You need to tribute another monster in order to summon that."

"...Tribute?"

Kaiba threw down his cards, having enough. "Enough of this child's play. Clearly you are too inexperienced to actually play against me." From his face, Dena can read some annoyance and...disappointment? He quickly gathers all of his cards, putting it back in his pocket.

"Funny. I actually thought you were going to be a _challenge."_ Kaiba looks down at Dena. "For someone who could somehow beat me at chess, you are quite incompentent and big headed to learn other games, let alone play them."

Dena opens her mouth, but nothing comes out.

Kaiba clicks his teeth, looking away. "Try to play against me when you're stronger. Of if you'll ever learn the game." He glances at his watch. "I already wasted enough time here." Barely glancing at Dena anymore, he says, "A butler will show you where your room is." He nods to his little brother. "Let's go, Mokuba." With that, he briskly walks out of the room.

"C-coming bro!" Mokuba sets down his bowl of popcorn. He rushes next to Brooke, looking through her deck.

"What are you doing?!" She couldn't help but snap. Boy, does she feel sore. Was she humiliated!

Mokuba quickly skims over her deck. A giggle escapes him. "Take more time to assemble your deck." He says to her. "Play more duels, learn the rules. Oh yeah. Don't put so much trap and spells in your deck with little monsters. The only monsters you have are over-powerful and high leveled. They don't fit in. Try to make up a deck that has a specific way of beating an opponent." Mokuba winks. "Catch ya later, Dena! Maybe I'll help you more later on! See ya!" He hands her deck back, and darts out of the room.

Dena sits there, dumbfolded. She looks back to her deck. "...Mokuba-kid has a point."

* * *

**A/N: And that's the end! That was Dena's first taste of the Yu-Gi-Oh world! She failed epicly, didn't she? As for Brooke, will she ever have the courage to take upon the responsibility? Find out next chapter! Reviews are welcomed! You think that we can raise it to six reviews for A Manga to Reality? That would be very much appreciated. Thank you!**


	4. Changes for a Better Future?

**A/:N Helloooo! Thank you for those who reviewed, followed, and favorite! Sorry, I meant to update last Sunday, but this chapter took quite sometime. Also, you readers may notice I change the chapter titles – I decided they were a bit bland for a fic like this. Ontoward the chapter!**

AlexistheEliatrope:i like this! i will continue to follow this

**Thank you! I hope you'll be able to review and read more chapters in the future!**

XxHeartMenderxX: Poor Dana XD. Kaiba is so getting back at her for beating him at chess. I can imagine his rage as he was lulled into her carefully laid trap. I would say poor Kaiba, but it serves him right for not being cautious. Also, poor Brooke... She has so much pressure on her shoulders now, she might forget to enjoy the ride. I hope everything turns out! Anyway, this was another amazing chapter. This time, there seemed to be a main focus on Dana. I'm excited to see how it will turn out for these two siblings. It'll be interesting for sure!

**Thank you for reviewing once again. Oh, by the way, the correct way to say it is Dena. X) Yep, Kaiba got back at her PRETTY HARD. I wouldn't even call it a game - I admire the fact that he even withstand her noob-ness for a few minutes. I'm glad that you notice Brooke's pressure - from her old life, she happens to always be overshadowed by her younger sister...you'll find out what I mean when I say that. Thanks for the review, once again!**

* * *

**~Chapter Four~**

_She rode with a vengeance._

_Never before has she felt this much...much...boiling, pounding, heat, inside her! It calls out to her, screaming, demanding to be felt. _

_Anger demanded to be felt._

_Anger demanded for her to take action._

_Pound, pound, pound, it repeatedly bangs inside her head, as her surroundings spin past her like a blur. _Away, take me away! _She thought, pedaling faster and faster. _

Screw her, screw them, screw it all! Forget this life! _She thought, wind blowing through her. Downhill. She is now going downhill. And speeding up faster, faster, faster. Reality calls her back when she nearly hits someone. And that railroad seems to be drawing closer to her, each second that flies by. _

_She pulls the break._

_She doesn't slow down._

_The white and red stripes of the railroad crossing gates suddenly stand out to her. They are getting closer, closer -_

_Why won't she stop?!_

"Ha!" Brooke gasps, bolting up. Fear. Fear grips her mind. Instantly, she senses that she is not in her bedroom. All the furthermore to propel her panic.

Shivering, as if remembering a bad memory, Brooke takes hold of both her arms, looking around. Moonlight strikes her face. Momentarily, Brooke shields her eyes. _Ah...where's the sun?_ All at once, everything hits her. The unfamilarity of the bedroom she resides in. Peculiar, strange, weird, _different. _

For one, the covers do not have that familiar softness to them, the pillows not thick and fluffy enough. The room is absent of the peppermint fragrance that Brooke's mother would usually spray in the air every week in the house. The walls, blank and empty of the dozens of drawings and paintings that practically served as wallpaper in Brooke's old bedroom. The emptiness of sound is deafening to Brooke, given at this time of hour, one of her parents might be awake listening to classical music or the sometimes loud volume of Dena playing her video games in the room next to her…

Sitting there, sweating, stomach empty and lips dry, Brooke did not know how to quite react, once realizing that she is not in her bedroom, in Los Angeles.

_Am I happy? Sad? Homesick?_ Brooke glances out of the window across of her. The moon is gone. Any form of light is temporarily gone.

Impulsively, Brooke lets her arm fly out to reach for her bedside lamp - but remembers that she indeed, is not at home. _Domino City. Ryou's apartment. His bedroom. _The thoughts register in her head, robotically. Rubbing her eyes, Brooke stares off into space a bit more. _Yu-Gi-Oh. I'm in Yu-Gi-Oh. _

Remembering this fact does not seem to register happiness.

_Why did I feel so scared after waking up?_ She thought, frowning, while stretching her arms. Her hand reaches for her necklace - and is once again reminded of its absence. Chewing her bottom lip, Brooke tugs at her red scarf. She wrinkles her nose, remembering that she slept in without changing. Her eyes adjust to the darkness. She stares at the ceiling, rubbing her forehead. _I hardly remember my dream…_

This is the type of moment especially annoying to most people, waking up suddenly after a dream, and immediately forgetting it. However, whatever she dreamt of, seem to settle a pit of...distraught? It is not quite fear, but _distraught. _It seemed _important. _And it is eating away at the back of her head, her brain scanning and scrambling to grasp at remaining memories of the dream.

_Train. That's the last thing I can remember. _Brooke frowns. _Why a train?_ A shiver goes down her spine. Brooke shivers. Why is she suddenly having an irrational discomfort about trains?

Her thoughts turn back to the letter.

"I hate it!" Brooke mutters out loud.

Hands fly to mouth. Brooke was in wonder of how _loud_ her voice fill the emptiness of the room. Smacking her lips, she is reminded of her thirstiness. And her grumbling stomach…

_I wish I didn't go to bed so early...I slept around at like, six o' clock maybe?_ Brooke bites her bottom lip, scratching her nose. Right away, when Ryou came out of the bathroom, she made a beeline for her bedroom. One, over the fact she was still troubled over the letter, two, at that moment she couldn't bear to see them, and partially three, she didn't want to see Ryou coming out of the shower. He isn't _that_ type of guy to stroll around, dripping half naked, but nevertheless, Brooke's instincts and impulsive nervousness urged her to retreat inside her room.

Now thinking back to it, Brooke scolds and berates herself. She must've seem selfish and stuck-up to him! She was holed up inside the room, even when Ryou asked if she wanted dinner. He seemed quite hesitant to let it slip by that she wanted to sleep so early, but relented. Then, after staring off into space for quite some time and reading her manga book that was stuffed inside her purse, Brooke drifted off to sleep.

_I can't cook at this type of hour. And I don't want to rummage through his cupboards or anything...that would be rude. _She thought, walking towards the door. The coolness of the wooden floors wake Brooke up a bit more. Quietly opening the door, Brooke glances over to Ryou's room, which was closed shut. Through the darkness, Brooke can make out something sitting on the table...walking closer, Brooke sees a small, rectangular box placed on the table. Flipping on a nearby lamp, light fills the room.

Her eyes a bit shocked from the sudden presence of light, she blinks quite a few times. Once adjusting to the light source, Brooke's gaze falls onto the foreign thing sitting on the table - and its none other than a prepared bento box. On top of the bright red box, is a small note. Brooke kneels, picking it up.

_Brooke,_

_Here's a bento I prepared for you - I'm not as creative when it comes to designing food or anything, let alone an expert in cooking, but I prepared some foods that I think you'd like. It's supposed to be your dinner, I hope you enjoy it and that the food isn't too bland. If you want some soy sauce to go with it, its in the fridge. _

_-Bakura_

_P.S. If there's anything bothering you, you can tell me. Being far away from home is pretty rough. _

Once finished reading it, Brooke holds the note close to her heart. Immediately she feels her eyes burning and watering. But she didn't care. Closing her eyes, she whispers, "Thanks Ryou." _This is the type of thing I would remember forever. _She thought, feeling foolishly childish and over sentimental, she puts the note inside her purse, inside her wallet.

She quietly goes to the kitchen get a glass of water, utensils, and soy sauce. Opening the bento, she sees a bed of rice with seaweed laid over it. To the side there are sausages - with all her might, Brooke stops herself from laughing out loud. Okay, Ryou definitely isn't the most _creative_ in preparing bentos - but what counts is his sincerity and thoughts.

Digging in, Brooke notices an opened can of packed sausages sitting in the recycle. _Hmm, does Ryou eat nothing but food out of a cup or can? Did he eat nothing but microwavable food since moving in here?_ Another giggle is stiffled out of Brooke. The thought of Ryou living off of packaged food seems hilarious - though fades away, when motherly concern takes over Brooke. _That's not a way to eat. I would cook proper food for him. _

Brooke's nose turns instantly red at this thought. _He would think that I would like him or something! O-or maybe he would think of it weird…_

These insecure thoughts are quieted, when Brooke remembers the note that Ryou left behind. "...It's the least I can do." She says to no one.

* * *

"Oh my Einstein," Dena moans, cracking her neck. She stretches her back, then cracks her knuckles. Glancing over to the clock, Dena groans to herself seeing that it was practically 3:00 in the freaking morning. How could she possibly think it was a good idea? Relief instantly registers through her, once remembering that she had no school to attend to. At the same time, a bit of...homesickness goes through her as well.

Staring at the ceiling while spinning around in the rolling chair, Dena closes her eyes. _I still haven't figured out what the flip-flop is going on here. My family...home. They would be totally worried about me right now. Brooke will be sobbing her eyes out. _Sighing loudly to herself, she looks at the computer screen.

Earlier, Dena attempted to go through other websites to send email to her parents - but they instantly bounced back, saying that once again, they don't exist…!

_I wish some random voice can tell me what to do. Cuz I don't know what to do. _Dena thought, wiping her glasses.

Her rising anxiety and worry, subside a bit, when Dena looks over to her deck. Laughing quietly, Dena pats it. She spent half of her freaking sleeping time researching on Duel Monsters. Apparently it seems to be a huge thing all over the internet and Japan - _especially _Japan. It's also pretty popular in America - but why didn't Dena ever heard much of it? She is _always_ on the internet. She would've heard of Duel Monsters…

_Meh, maybe I wasn't paying attention. _She thought, shrugging.

At some point, out of curiosity and strange nostalgia, Dena searched up _Yu-Gi-Oh_ \- thinking overtime, Dena perfectly recalls that it's some type of, what, manga, that her older sister _loved. _Dena never saw what was great about it - nor did she ever thought her sister would be into such a boyish looking packed comic book of some sort. But when searching it, pretty much _nothing_ turns up. Whoop-pee-do. Maybe she just spelled it wrong?

However, her research on Duel Monsters - For a children's card game, it's pretty much made out to be a big deal among a lot of people. Not to mention - complicated! Dena dedicated herself to read a whole fan-freaking handbook to Duel Monsters - and boy did it suck! Now the rules are forever imprinted in her mind...the good thing about Dena, is that she can memorize crap pretty easily.

Not to mention, she spent some time watching Duel Monsters tournaments online and reading hundreds of strategies - and she decided on the type of deck she would want. A burn deck - that way it would be quick and fast and easy for her to defeat opponents.

_It's pretty crazy how fast I became obssesed with this game. But when I fail at something - I have to freaking fix that. _Dena narrows her eyes, thinking of Kaiba smirking. _Believe me Kaiba, when I assemble the perfect freaking deck, I'm coming after you! Mark my words…!_ She grits her teeth. However, her internal monologing is cut short by a huge yawn escaping her.

"I need to freaking sleep!" Dena says aloud, slapping her forehead.

Stumbling over to the bed, she falls flat into the cushiony pillows. _Crinkle._ "Eh?" Dena raises her head wearily. Did she hear paper crinkling? She feels her pockets - surprised to feel one of them bulging with an object stored within it. She digs through her huge pockets - taking out a pack of gum, a wad of money, pepper spray, a mini minecraft zombie plushie keychain, the usual - then her hand closes around folded up paper.

Frowning, she takes it out.

_...An envelope?_

* * *

Was that bacon he smelled?

Ryou groggily sits upright. Why would mother be cooking at this hour…? Another whiff of cooked food hits his nose. Eggs. He shakes his head, his white hair flying in all directions. Smacking his forehead, he berates himself. "Of course it's not mother cooking…!" He mumbles to himself, sleepily standing to his feet.

He walks out of his bedroom - and his sleep-addled brain is snapped into awake-mode. A huge meal is prepared on the table - filled with a huge bowl of rice, a platter of bacon and spam, neatly cut boiled eggs, stir fried vegetables…

Stunned, Ryou glances over to the kitchen area. He sees Brooke, her back turned from him, cooking away happily. For a moment, he sees a tall, elegant willowy woman with short blonde almost white hair - however blinking again, he only sees Brooke, a girl with long black hair and tanned skin. She turns around, yelping at the sight of Ryou. Nose red, she flusters. "Oh, uhm, Ryou, uhm - g-good morning!" She quickly bows to him.

Still a bit dazed, he nods and smiles back. "Good morning to you, Brooke." He glances over to the clock sitting above the small TV across the room. "Well actually, a good afternoon - oh dear, I slept in…"

"Sorry I didn't wake you up sooner...I thought you were really tired..." Brooke replies to him, nose still slightly red, looking embarrassed for some reason.

"Uhm, but thank you for cooking so much!" Ryou feels his mouth water as he stares at the huge meal prepared on the table. "I hope it wasn't too much for you…"

"No, not at all!" Brooke laughs lightly, embarrassment disappearing. She walks over to the table with a platter of fried tomatoes and seaweed, setting it down on the table. She kneels across from Ryou, Ryou following. "I enjoy cooking, actually."

"Where did you find all this food anyway?" Ryou asks her in disbelief, wondering how can someone cook such good looking food, given the fact that most of his food supply only consisted of canned stuff…

Brooke's nose turns red once again, the girl tightening the bright red scarf. "I went through your cupboards and found all of this canned food. Plus you had a few eggs in the fridge. S-sorry if you're offended o-o-or anything, I just thought of it proper to only cook breakfast for you…"

"No, it's no problem at all! I'm just amazed you can make such a huge meal, that's all - thanks so much!"

She gives a flustered, small smile. "No problem. Thank you."

Not able to hold it back any longer, Ryou piled heaves of food on his empty plate. Without feeling self conscious, he wolfs down the food. How long has it been since he ate cooked food? It's so good -

"Hehehehehe!" Brooke giggles, looking amused at Ryou's wolfish state of eating.

Ryou slows down, mid-chew in a mouthful of fried tomato and rice. He feels himself turn pink at the cheeks, realizing how barbaric he must look. Slowly, he wipes his mouth, swallowing the mouthful of food.

"I figured...you've been living off of cup ramen and microwaved food for sometime now?"

"Yeah," Ryou admits. "How did you find out?"

"...Your trashcan was full of them. Not to mention you had a whole cupboard dedicated to shelves and shelves full of cup ramen…"

"Oh god, I was discovered." Ryou laughs bashfully.

"Your refrigerator practically had nothing in it! What's up with that?"

Ryou gulps down all of the bacon in no time. "Oh...sorry."

"That's ok, I'm not a huge fan of bacon."

"Yes...about that question...erm, I'm not quite great at cooking. I wasn't even prepared to live on my own before I moved in!" Ryou tries laughing at this, but his thoughts darken a bit around the matters of his father.

"What?" Brooke gives him a funny look. "Not great at cooking? You struck me as the type that would...can live on their own." Ryou looks carefully at Brooke. She seem to pick out her words quite choosingly. Once again, her nose is flushed red. Is she hiding something?

"Well, I didn't live on my own too much before." He pretends to indulge himself in carefully slicing up pieces of spam to mix in with his rice. He can feel the staring of Brooke at him. Her mouth opens, but quickly clamps shut. Ryou feels pretty bad for having to be so closed off, but the past is too painful to share with anyone else. Afterall, in the end, he still has to retain his privacy.

In truth, Ryou still didn't feel quite sure about letting this girl live here. Hasty, Ryou already extended the offer, so the damage was done already. But, well, she is still a stranger that came tumbling practically out of nowhere...at the very least, she was a nice girl that wasn't secretly a crazed axe murderer, that's what Ryou is extremely grateful for. _What is this parallel verse she comes from anyway?_ He thought, momentarily gazing intently at her. _Should I really believe her story? Its crazy…_

_Then again, _a dark whispery, taunting voice rasps to him from the back of his mind. _It's not as crazy as the story of all your friends falling into comas when they play games with you…_

Ryou feels his teeth grit, his fork dropping from hand. Brooke looks up from her food, concerned. "You okay?"

"Y-yes…" He picks up the fork, picking at his eggs, his famished hunger vanished. That dark voice...Ryou tugs at the rope holding his precious Ring. _It's just part of my conscious. _He thought firmly. _But it's all the more reason that I shouldn't let this girl stay here...then again..._The image of Brooke nearly reduced to tears when she realized that she had nowhere to go...stuck to him.

He smiles sadly to himself, putting a hand on his chest. _It reminds me too much of myself. After seeing her like that...I know I can't be heartless enough to throw her out to the streets. But we both have to come up with a logical explanation. As for people mysteriously falling into comas…_ Impending doom looms over Ryou like a veil. _...Maybe it's best for me not to tell her that. Not until I can figure something out. _

"Brooke," He says suddenly. Clearing his throat, "I know, that maybe you don't want to talk about such things right now, but please...tell me more about your world."

Brooke looks at him, dazed. She blinks, nodding. "Yes." Once again, nose is red. Ryou feels his lips curl into a small smile. Noticing, this stranger of a girl seems to do that when feeling embarrassed of the sorts. She tugs at her scarf, flinging one side behind her back. _I wonder why she keeps that on… _"Well, I don't think my world is much different from yours…" Brooke trails off a bit, looking as if she is about to say something else. It's just an alternate world. Maybe a parallel universe?"

"Oh." Ryou feels a bit of disappointment deflate in him. The idea of a parallel universe excites him a bit, if it is true and possible. Maybe it's different from this mundane, boring world he resides in...however, quickly casting it aside, Ryou nods, thoughtful. "Any ideas as to how you think you got here?"

"No." Brooke shakes her head, eyes diverted. Her thick bangs cover them. "I still don't remember anything from my fight after my sister…"

"Alright," Ryou nods, feeling a bit sorry he brought it up. "Alright then. Sorry for bringing it up. Your cooking is very good, by the way!" He says, hoping to change the subject.

Brooke smiles. "Thank you. I learned how to cook thanks to looking after my younger siblings - my parents worked pretty often."

Nostalgia sparks in Ryou's head, when he hears of this - immediately he thinks of the memory of Amara, tugging at his shirt and yelling at him to cook dinner. "Really? How old?"

"Well, I have a little brother, Cargan's his name, and he's ten. Then there's my sister - she's only a year younger, but she might as well be a twelve year old." Brooke laughs lightly. Momentarily, longing flashes on her face, but quickly she musters it up by replacing it with a smile. Ryou feels himself frown. _Why does she always do that? Hide? Being modest?_

"U-um, y-you know…" She stutters, suddenly. Glancing up, Ryou observes that her nose is an awful shade of color, the girl biting down hard on her bottom lip. Brooke's head leans down, her bangs shielding her eyes. "I-I can cook your meals!"

Ryou stops stirring his food around his plate, stopping to stare at her, a bit dumbfolded for some reason.

"...I can cook your meals…" Brooke says in a small voice, her head still lean down. "Everyday. So that you can eat good, homecooked foods…" Her shoulders seem to be shiverring slightly - _she doesn't need to be so nervous all the time. _Ryou thought, smiling to himself, feeling a bit touched.

"Wow...really?" He grins. "You really don't need to do that…"

"I insist!"

Ryou stops talking. He smiles. "I see. Well, lets at least divide the cooking around here. How about you teach a couple of cooking lessons? That way, you don't need to cook for me 24/7."

Brooke finally raises her head, her hair falling away from her eyes. "...O-okay."

_I think we're going to be good friends._ He suddenly thought. Smiling, he tugs at the rope holding his Ring. _Looks like I have something new to write about to Amane tonight._

* * *

"So...you already collected your binders and writing utensils?" Brooke asks Ryou, looking down at the neatly prepared list he wrote. Together, they walk through the crowded streets of Domino City, going into a few stores to buy his supplies already. The weather is nice, if not a bit windy, however a considerable good day in the midst of autumn.

He nods, carrying the bags of his school supplies in hand. "We should go off to buy you some clothes."

Brooke feels herself flinch, heat rising in her nose. "Oh! You really don't need to do that, honestly!"

Ryou shakes his head, laughing lightly. "Don't be so modest, Brooke! I'm sure that not anyone can go on for a whole week in the same set of clothes! Not to mention, erm, underclothes…"

"R-Ryou!" Brooke exclaims, nose furiously red at this point.

"Sorry, sorry...here, just go inside this clothing store, and buy what you think is sufficient." He says, handing her his wallet. "I'll just wait outside for you."

"Are you sure…?"

"Oh, c'mon Brooke, the wallet is in your hand already!" With that, Ryou gently pushes Brooke inside the store.

Still feeling red at the nose, Brooke walks further into the store, clutching his wallet. _He really is so nice. Maybe that letter was wrong. _Hope momentarily raises within her. However, it is quickly snuffed by other dark insecurities plaguing her mind. _I never said thank you to him, did I? About the bento. That really was so sweet. Oh gee, I hope he doesn't think I'm ingrateful…_

Picking out three pull over sweaters with various prints, as well as two pastel colored skirts and of course, much to Brooke's impulsive embarrassment, _underwear_, she was out of the store in no time. She looks over to the telephone pole, where Ryou promised he'd still be waiting - but strange enough he wasn't there. And the bags of school supplies lie carelessly there, as if dropped.

Pulling through the crowds of people walking on the sidewalk, Brooke rushes to the bags, a bit panicked. _Where did he go…? Has he been robbed? Kidnapped?_ Wildly, thoughts fly around in her mind, from one extravagant possibility to the next. Biting her lip, Brooke catches her breath, taking huge breaths. _I can't get my nerves get on to me...I just have to calm down and figure out where he is. I only been in the store for around six minutes - he couldn't have gotten very far!_

The letter.

Brooke glances to her purse. Yes..yes, maybe the letter would know where he was. Maybe Brooke is overreacting, but given what she has read from the letter so far…

Taking a deep breath, Brooke takes out the envelope, opening its contents. She reads the second page - her eyes getting wider by each line they read. Perfectly, the letter recalls the events of the day - from Brooke waking up at three in the morning, to her finding the note from Ryou, right up to this very moment where she is panicking over him missing - the letter predicted all of these events, word by word.

'_At this point, you panic trying to look for Ryou. But don't worry you find him after wandering and running a few blocks down - he's near a bubble tea shop called, Mr. Momo's Tea! However, from there he bumped into Yugi, but the two hardly get a chance to meet given that Miho Nosaka bumps in - I count that you remember her, from a few episodes of watching the Yugioh Season 0 anime, correct? At this point, Ryou looks a bit flustered and upset, but you never delved into his anxiety and let the whole subject drop. _

_Notes:_

_\- I want you to introduce Ryou to Yugi, just a little push. I regret never having the two introduced to each other. Ryou has always been the outsider of the group...please, give that little push of having the two talk with each other_

_\- Try pushing yourself to talk to Ryou about what has been bothering him. The Spirit's influence is creeping in - have no fear, and be a rock for Ryou. _

_\- Don't forget to say thank you to Ryou about the bento. I never said thank you to him. Though it must be very embarrassing for you, younger self, please, find the courage to do so.'_

Shakingly, Brooke puts the letter back in her purse. _...So the letter is true…I can't doubt it anymore…_ Her eyes water for a moment. _I really screwed things up, so much on the first day where I actually get to meet more of the Yu-Gi-Oh cast. _Her hands tighten. _But...but this is a chance. For me and the future me, is she is truly real - I have to try to make a better future. _With a hardened resolve, Brooke hauls all plastic bags of the school supplies and her clothes, and runs down the street.

After running a few blocks, true from the letter's words, she sees Ryou standing in front of Yugi near Mr. Momo's Tea! Huffing, she runs forward a bit faster. "B-Bakura…!" She calls out, panting a bit.

Ryou jumps, turning around. His cheeks flush a violent red. "A-ah! Brooke! I'm so, so sorry, I left you, but I don't even have any memory - " Ryou stops talking, a brief expression of upsetting on his face. Brooke stops in her tracks, seeing his unhappy face.

"Bakura…"

"Please, let me take those bags…" He mutters, his white, spiky hair covering his eyes.

Behind Ryou, Brooke can see a confused looking Yugi Muto. Excitement rises in her momentarily, seeing his familiar crazy spiky hair and the famous golden Millenium Puzzle hanging from his neck - and he really _is _short in person! Brooke would never admit this to her sister, but she definitely found the person that would be shorter than her - and that is no other than Yugi Muto. Once Ryou takes the bags from Brooke's hands, he gives her another sad, and - what, sorrowful looking smile.

He turns back to Yugi, giving a short bow. "I'm sorry for bothering you."

"Ah, it's no problem at all!" Yugi says to him, giving a small, friendly smile. His voice almost sounds timid and small sounding like Bakura - only more upbeat and cheerful.

"U-uhm," Brooke speaks up. Instantaneously, both boys look to her. The spotlight is on her now. And frankly, Brooke never enjoys it. _For Ryou's sake! For Future Me's sake!_ She thought, mustering up all she can to speak. "Interesting necklace you got there!" She blurts out, pointing at Yugi's puzzle. She immediately brings it down, remembering how rude it was to point…

Yugi blooms out into a bashful smile. "R-really? Thank you! It's a special gift that my grandpa gave to me!"

"It looks Egyptian," Ryou suddenly says, his eyes fixated in the puzzle.

"Why yes, yes it is! How did you figure? I mean, I guess it obvious, given that it's shaped like a pyramid…"

Brooke looks closely at Ryou's expression, as he stares at the puzzle, almost seeming transfixed.

"That's really cool!" Brooke comments, hoping to keep the conversation rolling. "Uhm, you go to Domino High School? Bakura here is going to transfer soon!"

His gaze breaks from the puzzle, finally, when Brooke says this. He gives a small frown to Brooke, with her immediately flushing red at the nose.

"Really?" She hears Yugi say excitedly. "Cool! Well, I give you an early welcome, as a Domino High schooler! I'm Muto Yugi, by the way."

Brooke smiles, nodding, shyly shaking his hand. "My name's Brooke Kemp."

Finally, Ryou breaks out of his reserves. "...Bakura Ryou." He nods to Yugi. "Nice to meet you, but Brooke and I must be…"

"Yuugiii~! What are you doing?" A high pitched voice yells.

Ryou and Brooke both jump at once - and turn to the direction of the high voice. In the distance, a girl probably their age, waves ecstatically at Yugi, running towards him. Her long pale lavender hair, bounces with each lively step she took, a yellow ribbon that gathers her hair into a ponytail streaming behind her. Her dark purple eyes, look over to Ryou for a second - and Brooke swears, she sees the girl's eyes, Miho Nosaka's, replaced with hearts. Miho's pale face immediately flushes red, as she skids to a stop in her running.

She walks quickly towards all of them, her attention solely honed in on Ryou, hands clasped, giggling, and twirling her hair in a very girlish manner. "Ahhh, hello!" She greets Ryou, her eyes blinking rapidly. "M-my name's Nosaka Miho, but please call me Miho, and I'm from Domino High School…"

For a moment, Brooke zones out. _Didn't the letter state that I'm in season 0? I mean, what other explanation is there, given that Miho is here...hmm, then what episode am I in? Oh man, I should've watched more season 0 episodes, but I can only watch a few from Youtube…_

"...Brooke, let's go," Ryou sighs, looking tired of Miho's fawning.

Brooke blinks. She almost nods, but stops herself. "O-oh! But look over there!" She points to the bubble tea shop next to them. "I never tried bubble tea before, Ryou!" She blurts out, on the spot. Boy oh boy, did she feel quite pushy for kicking Ryou into this situation - but the letter…

Miho and Yugi instantaneuosly give her funny looks. "Never tried bubble tea?" Miho interrupts, with a broad smile. "Hehe, that's silly!"

"Unless you're a visitor here, in Japan?" Yugi suggests, looking curious.

Ryou and Brooke both glance to each other, like deer caught in the headlights.

"...Actually, yes, she comes from America." Ryou nods, covering for Brooke.

Miho and Yugi both look at Brooke, impressed. "Ooh, I should've figured, from the accent!" Miho giggles, jumping up and down, ecstatic at this prospect. "At this point, Yugi and I will treat you to some bubble tea - I mean, unless it's alright with you, Yugi?"

He nods, amiable. "Of course! We can't let an American go on without trying bubble tea!" Both chattering happily, they pull Ryou and Brooke into the bubble tea shop. Entering the shop, Brooke notices that it seems to be packed full of many customers, including most from Domino High School, given that schools had just ended.

Looking over to Ryou , he looks a bit flustered at this sudden social situation - reminding Brooke way too much of herself. _Strange. Why do I feel so much...bolder?_ She thought, light. Gazing back to Miho and Yugi, who are both energetically conversing with each other as to which bubble tea she should try out, she smiles. _The characters. They strengthen me. And I know who they are. And that comforts me. _

"Here ya go!" Miho chirps, pulling her out of her thoughts. She waves a clear cup with an orangey-murky looking color in Brooke's face.

Brooke smiles, taking the drink. She couldn't help but stare at the foreign drink, the unique orange milky color, with black bubbly mass gathering at the bottom of the cup. Truth be told, Brooke wasn't lying when she said she never tried bubble tea - she hoped it didn't taste too weird. She takes a sip of it, all three looking expectantly at her. Her nose flushes red at the attention - however, her eyes light up at the taste. Her eyebrows furrow, after feeling the peculiar and somewhat uncomfortable sensation of the "bubbles" going down her throat.

"W-weird!" She exclaims, touching her throat.

All three burst out laughing. "I think it'd be best for you to chew them, first!" Yugi laughs, taking a huge gulp of his bubble tea.

"We got you thai tea flavor - the best!" Miho cheers, pumping a fist.

"Thank you for paying," Ryou says, polite as ever, as all four leisurely walk down the sidewalk together. "I really hope it doesn't bother you."

"N-not at a-a-all, Bakura!" Miho stutters, staring moon-eyed at Ryou. Brooke giggles to see his shoulders stiffen, trying to escape the fawning of Miho. She wonders, back in her real world, did Ryou have no attraction to girls? Thinking of this, Brooke almost spews out her drink. She shouldn't think such weird things…!

Miho clasps her hands together, bouncing. "Ooh, I know where all four of us can go next! My father's bakery!" For a moment, Brooke swears, she thought she saw a grimace on Miho's face mentioning her father - but in the blink of an eye, her ever so cheery expression is back. "He'll give us free bread on the house - at least if I have the excuse of my friends being around!"

Ryou looks as if he were about to say no, but Brooke lightly nudges him, giving a reassuring smile.

"Let's goooo~!" Miho declares loudly, pointing ahead.

Brooke looks back to Ryou and Yugi, wondering how to let them strike a conversation. Ryou still looks troubled and bit awkward, stirring around the straw of his cup. Yugi look as if he wanted to talk to Ryou, though a bit unsure as well. In a quick attempt to break both boys out of their shells, Brooke says, "Yugi, ever heard of Monster World, before?"

Yugi's eyes widen. "Y-yeah! I love that game! Actually, in general, I love games!"

The indifference in Ryou's eyes, disappears in that instant, hearing Yugi respond excitedly to this. "Really? That's great! I love Monster World! I even have my own collection of RPG figures at home!"

"That's neat!"

Both boys gladly engage in conversation with each other, sharing their dedicated love to games. Brooke smiles proudly, seeing the boys warming up to each other. At the same, she couldn't help but feel...alone, now? Some may argue that the state of feeling lonely is when being by yourself - but Brooke disagrees. Being lonely is when you're with a bunch of people, and they all seem to be talking and having fun with each other but you...She shakes this doubtful feeling off, walking closely behind the boys.

Miho rushes toward her, practically skipping with every step she took. _Miho's manga counterpart is so different from her anime persona…_ Brooke thought with a smile. "Hai~hai!" She says, winking, her ponytail bouncing with each nod she took. "Miho-chan hasn't caught your name yet!"

"Ah, yes - Brooke Kemp."

"Brooke! Aahh, how unique!" Miho looks up and down Brooke's outfit. "I love your scarf, by the way! It looks so cozy and has that home type of feeling to it!"

Brooke feels herself glow under Miho's compliment. "Thank you...my mom made it."

"Really? Woooow, so talented!" Miho looks back to the boys, particularly Ryou, and shakes her head. "Tee-hee, the boys sure look so zealous over talking of games! Yugi loves games - and he's so very good at them too!" Miho exclaims the last part proudly. She looks back at Brooke, animated interest shining in her wide eyes. "So how's America like? Which state did you live in, and all?"

"Los Angeles, California. I don't think America is any country really special - though I guess one of the different things about America, is that most schools don't make students wear uniforms."

"What? Luccccky! Practically EVERY school here in Japan has a uniform policy! They should let us express ourselves more!"

Brooke smiles timidly. Miho was a nice, upbeat girl. Though in real life, Brooke would never consider herself clicking with this type of girl. She couldn't help but wonder where the rest of Yugi's friends are…

"...Hey, Brooke," She says suddenly, nudging Brooke with her elbow. "You make a lovely couple with Ryou!" Miho compliments, looking a bit shy for a moment.

This time, Brooke really did spew up some of her drink. Nose a color red, Brooke feels her eyes wide and flitting in every direction. "W-what?! No...no, we're not a couple!"

Ryou looks over to both girls at that instant, Brooke chattering a smile.

Once he looks away, Miho giggles like crazy. "Oh gee, I'm so sorry I put you on the spot like that! Ah well, that's good news for me - he's still free!" The girl with the ribbon's eyes shine, with a competitive edge, as she gazes at Ryou. Brooke furiously takes huge gulps of her bubble tea, hoping to dear God that Miho can stop with all this boy-talk business.

Luckily, Miho does, when she sees a bakery up ahead. "Destination, sighted!" She declares. "I'll get the bread - you guys wait here!" As quick as she dashes into the bakery, she appears with a huge, bulging bag of bread. "Bread, bread for everyone!" Miho laughs excitedly, waving the bag of bread around. "Let's see, let's see, I made sure I got many types of bread for each of my friends - there's egg custard tarts, red bean cake, mochi, curry bread, melon bread, tayaki, and rice cake! Take your pick guys!"

Brooke's head is spinning with all of these strange pastry assortments that Brooke never heard of or tasted. _Red bean cake? That honestly sounds like something I'd definitely say a no to...the only thing that I know on the list is egg custard. I like egg custard tarts. They are delicious, even if it sound weird enough, and pretty much the only thing I tasted and know out of all these choices..._Brooke glances around them. _But what if someone else wants egg custard?_

"I think I'd like the egg custard tarts…" Yugi ventures, tip-toeing to peer into the bag.

Miho frowns, childishly crossing her arms. "Whhhaaaa, no way! I want them!"

"Aw, c'mon Miho, you know that your parents' egg tart is the best…!"

"Pfft, let's just let our new friends choose! Here are the options guys, for you two," Miho says, pointing to Ryou and Brooke. "Most of the bread in this bag I especially got for some other friends back at our school - so you guys can choose between egg custard tart, red bean cake, or tayaki!"

"But I wanted egg custard tart…" Yugi says meekly.

Brooke smiles. _In that case, I better not say what I want out loud - the others seem like they want the egg custard pretty badly. _"Anything's fine, you can surprise me, Miho."

"Okay~!" Reaching into the bag, Miho thrusts a plastic box containing a red mushy looking substance to Brooke. "Have red bean cake! It's pretty great - my second favorite to egg custard!" Miho quickly gives a stink eye to Yugi. She turns to Ryou, blushing and flustering. She takes out a cute looking box wrapped neatly, and hands it to him. "M-my g-g-gift to you, B-Bakura...it's pretty much the best thing my parents bake!"

He takes it, smiling politely. "Thank you."

A squeal comes from Miho.

"Egg custard is a favorite of mine, I have to admit." Ryou says to Brooke.

Brooke looks at her weird pastry, hardly paying attention to the bickering between Miho and Yugi. She feels her mouth jut out and her eyebrows furrowing in distaste. _Red bean…_ Brooke swallows her disdain for this weird pastry, putting on a smile seeing that Miho and Yugi finally settled, when the lavender haired girl appeased the other boy with tayaki. _Ah well - everything worked out in the end. Something good comes out of me not getting the egg custard. _Out of the corner of her eyes, she sees Ryou closely watching her, with a little frown on his face. Just when she was about to ask him what's wrong he makes the first move.

"Brooke," Ryou calls out. He is looking at her, observing. "I'll trade you your red bean with my egg custard," He offers the box to her.

Brooke stares at him, blinking. "...Didn't you say egg custard was your favorite?"

"Well, I want to try something new. Afterall, I think you'd like egg custard more."

In a daze, Brooke wordlessly exchanges her pastry with Ryou. _Did he notice? Was that why he was staring at me? Because he noticed at the frown I made at the pastry?_ Brooke looks over to Ryou, who is now chatting with Yugi, warming up to the other two. She glances back down to the small box in her hands. Tightening her scarf, she dismisses the possibility. A mere coincidence.

After exchanging phone numbers (Miho was practically off her locker when Ryou, reluctantly, gave her his number, for the sake of politeness), Ryou and Brooke head home.

"They were pretty nice, weren't they, Bakura?" Brooke says suddenly.

He nods, in deep thought.

"Hehe - Miho seems to admire you quite alot," Brooke comments, lightly teasing Ryou.

A shudder comes out of him. "I almost wanted to run away when she came…"

Brooke frowns in slight disapproval. "Why? You don't like the attention?"

"Ehh...I'm just not interested in anyone at the moment," Ryou shrugs carelessly. "I happen to like games more than I like girls."

Poking more fun into Ryou, Brooke says acting hurt, "You mean you would've thrown me out to the streets because you don't like girls?"

Ryou laughs. "I never meant it _that_ way! Though...if you were the type like Miho to flirt a lot...I think it would have been highly probable for me to politely ask you out of my house."

Brooke laughs, a bit in disbelief.

"Though...I'm glad I made friends. I was a little nervous for my new school - to go in the middle of a school year, not knowing anybody." Ryou admits.

"That's good." Brooke's trailing thoughts turn to the letter. "Say Bakura...what was up, earlier, when you wandered off? You seem pretty distraught…"

Ryou noticeably freezes up as well. "...I don't know, Brooke." He mutters, his gaze averted from hers.

At this point, Brooke would have dropped the conversation. But the letter…

'_Try pushing yourself to talk to Ryou about what has been bothering him. The Spirit's influence is creeping in - have no fear, and be a rock for Ryou.'_

Clenching her hands, Brooke presses on. "Come on, Bakura - you don't seem to be that type of guy that would just walk off with no explanation. Is there a problem? Because if there is, please tell me."

Ryou is quiet, looking away.

"I...I have black outs. Gap in memories, sometimes." He finally says, shoulders stiff. "They happen sometimes like…" He look as if he were about to say something important to Brooke, but drops it. "In all honesty, the last thing I remembered when waiting for you, was Yugi running by past me...I saw the Puzzle around his neck - and all went blank for me." He explains, looking a bit pained at this.

Brooke looks at him, worriedly. She gently pats his shoulder. "It's okay. I believe you. But...do you think you'll be okay, when things like this happen to you?"

Ryou is quiet for another moment. "...Yes. Yes, I will. Thank you, for asking Brooke. I think I got some burden off my chest." He smiles tiredly at her.

"Uhm, no problem."

An awkward pauses takes up their silence.

'_Don't forget to say thank you to Ryou about the bento. I never said thank you to him. Though it must be very embarrassing for you, younger self, please, find the courage to do so.'_

Brooke gives a shaky sigh. That's easy for the letter to say. Isn't it too late for her to be saying a thank you, at this point? She glances back to Ryou, his hair still covering his eyes, his jaw set with a stiffness. _He looks pretty down after I pried the truth out of him - he needs something positive. _Biting her lip, tugging her scarf, then inhaling loudly, Brooke musters up the courage.

"R-Ryou!"

"...Yes?"

Squeezing her eyes shut, Brooke blurts it out. "T-Thank you!"

"...?"

"Thank you…" She repeats, breathless. Tightness is building up in her chest, breathing suddenly difficult. "Thank you for the bento you made, last night...I found it when I woke up in the middle of the night…"

Ryou chuckles. "That? It's no big deal, really…"

"No, but, thank you!" Brooke exclaims, her voice loud. She covers her mouth immediately, realizing how dramatic she was making this out. Heat is flushing all over her face, her nose maybe a bright beet red by now.

Ryou studies her for a moment. "...You're really serious." He lips turn up in a smile. Laughter releases from him, his stiff posture loosening. Brooke stands there, star struck, blinking in stupor. Running his hand through his forehead, Ryou grins at Brooke. "No problem, Brooke. I didn't know it meant a lot."

"I-it really d-did…!"

"Well...I'm glad that it did." He turns his back to her. "But...thank you too, Brooke. That's something I needed to hear."

Brooke stands there, processing what he said. She smiles, walking faster behind him to catch up.

_I fixed a couple of things...maybe, things has changed better, for the future?_

* * *

**A/N: WHEW, this is one hell of a chapter! More chapters maybe like this in the future, so be prepared folks! Anyway, what do you think? I know, at some point in the chapter, it was briefly focused on Ryou's perspective through third person. It'll be like that for some certain chapters, when I switch to the thoughts of the canon. I'm a bit excited for that. **

**Did Brooke really change things? What more is there to come? And what did Dena find from the depths of her pockets…? Find out next chapter! Reviews are highly appreciated. Don't be afraid to leave your thoughts in the reviews, silent readers! I love hearing input from what people read in my fics! **


	5. Nonexistent Possible Proof?

AlexistheEliatrope: *squeals* SO FREAKIN' KAWAII! (kawaii means cute, for whoever doesnt know) i loved this chapter! we are getting into some extremely cute fluff!- cant wait until the next one!

**Thanks! There's going to be future chapters that'll be kinda sorta fluffy - but chapters like this will be dark. Just a warning for the future…**

XxHeartMenderxX: That dream... All the foreboding happened! Sorry about the spelling error in my last review... opps? Also, please excuse me as I squeal over how cute Brooke is. She's so freaking adorable. I love the dynamics that happen between her and Ryou. You made everything flow so easily, it was like it actually happened! I can't wait to see Dena duel! A newbie duelist who rivals Kaiba in intelligence? You can just sense the drama! This chapter is my current favorite! I can't wait to read more!

**Thank you! I want to make sure to build the relationship up between Ryou and Brooke soon enough, something I failed to accomplish in the old version of this fic. (the old one was a fiasco… *shudders*) Anyway, it maybe quite awhile until you ever see Dena duel against Kaiba, or let alone start seeing her duel at all. It'll happen in Duelist Kingdom, most likely, ;)**

* * *

**~Chapter Five~**

Dena rarely believes in few things.

She figured out that Santa, the Tooth Fairy, and the Easter Bunny didn't exist by age ten.

She deducted that magic does not exist.

She questions the Christian religion that her family practices.

So should she REALLY consider the fact that:

_**1) Should she seriously believe that she has been transported into some children's anime? **_

_**2) Furthermore, should she believe this letter that she mysteriously found in her pocket, that claims that it comes 13 years from the future from 27 year old Adena Kemp?**_

Dena stares at the letter, laid out in front of her. Her cup of coffee is pushed to the side, cold at this point (Dena didn't even know why she ordered coffee in the first place - she despises the taste, no matter how much sugar and cream she would dump into the drink), the turkey sandwich she ordered only nibbled on the edges. Taking another mindless bite out of the food, Dena re-reads the letter for what seems to be the hundreth time.

_Dena,_

_Hey kid, how are you doing? I hope you find this letter at some point, and when you do find it, you're probably just wondering: what the flippity-flop is going on here?_

Dena momentarily shudders. Everything is SO uncanny about this letter - the messy chick scratch like writing, the slang, the informalness - it sounds exactly like Dena.

_And you're right, afterall, I suppose I should offer you a proper explanation. I was the one who sent you into that world in the first place. To be blunt with you, Mini-Dena you were transported into the anime and manga that Brooke loved with her heart, Yu-Gi-Oh. Yes, yes, knowing you, I mean, younger me, you would call this a load of bull and probably laugh it off and try to do your own thing and then everything all falls to crap. _

_But I am telling the truth._

_If you want a proper explanation, Dena, I doubt that it will be useless to explain it all in the first part of the letter. Knowing me, you would like proof. _

"Hell right I do." Dena mutters, biting the inside of her cheek.

_So until then, I enclose the other part of the letter in another letter - don't you DARE open it until you are thoroughly convinced that you are indeed in an alternate dimension. For now, I will not explain how I sent you to this world and the whole reason why - afterall, this is pretty much a lot to take in. _

_Moving on - if you want a logical explanation as to how this is possible, the very idea that you seem to be residing in another world, more specific, dimension, and how the hell a letter traveled back in time to get to you, I will explain that part. Think of it this way. Say for example that you were at home with free time, but you had the option to choose to do your homework or not - these choices are laid out before you. _

_Either choice presented before you, creates an parallel world/scenario. Get it? Which means every choice, the smallest you make, spawns a parallel world. Endlessly do parallel worlds multiply in numbers._

_Now to the topic of alternate dimensions - that's a whole tricky matter. There are billions of alternate dimensions existing out there - from an alternate dimension where Harry Potter exists to another alternate dimension where the zombie apocolypse is happening - say, if you will, that these dimensions are different versions of the real world. Yu-Gi-Oh is no exception. _

_However! The matters of traveling to another dimension is wholly and seemingly impossible - but not quite. There are fabrics, Dena, fabrics that are scattered variously in these dimensions. Though they are VERY hard to find, not to mention, they don't last for long. So how were you and Brooke sent into Yu-Gi-Oh? Simple, you experienced a phenomenon known as this: leaping through dimensions._

_I made sure that you and Brooke "leapt" through dimensions together, so that both of you can end up in the Yu-Gi-Oh world. Why? Well, I'm getting there. _

_Originally, in my timeline, or therefore if you will, my parallel world, on the fateful day of September 23rd, a strange thing has happened to Brooke. She almost died when she got in the way of a train. After that she was never the same - she wasn't the same person. Distant. Cold. Withdrawn. _

_Many years later, I finally found out the truth - she experienced the phenomenon of leaping. When I discovered this, I immediately traveled to the past, ergo, parallel world that you, Mimi-Dena, reside in. I made sure to send you into Yu-Gi-Oh with Brooke. Partially the reason why I sent you into Yu-Gi-Oh...is because I made a lot of stupid mistakes your age. I don't want you to repeat them. So you better listen up. _

_Find her. Keep a close eye on her. Fix your relationship. Erase your - no, my regrets. And be a better sister than you used to be to her. _

_I can only wish you the best of luck. _

_-Older Dena_

_P.S. I wasn't kidding about opening the other letter you better not open it until you are convinced and you find your sister_

Dena scowls at the letter, pushing it away. She rubs her temples. Bull. This HAS to be invalid information.

She glances over to the other letter that was stuffed in the envelope. No longer being able to hold back any longer, Dena seizes it, and rips it open. Her eyes bulge to see yet ANOTHER envelope snuggly fit inside the original. Written on the back:

_Oh-ho-ho! I KNEW it! You're gonna try to open this part of the letter! Well, no to you Mini-Dena!_

_~Regards from Older Dena_

Dena curse under her breath, ripping open that envelope. Once again, she finds yet another one with another irritating message.

_I'm SERIOUS. Get your eyeballs off this paper and do some better things, like, I don't know, find Brooke and get your shit together? Toodles!_

_~Love Older Dena_

"Coccydynia!" Dena mutters, throwing the taunting letters away. She sinks in her seat, staring out the window, her eyes glazing over, watching the never ending swarms of people walk back and forth on the sidewalk, going about their daily day.

...Should she believe this letter?

Well, like the know it all it is, it told her to find proof. But where, exactly? Sure, the fact that Duel Monsters exist should tip Dena off, but thats not a big deal - she's in Japan afterall. The only option left if to find Brooke, if the letter is true…

Dena's mind wanders over to the matters of this 'leaping phenomenon' that the letter babbled on about. If there's one straw of proof that the letter is true, how can any old prankster know about the matters of parallel worlds? The explanation that it used was her mother's. Dena slowly zoned out, remembering a conversation she had with her mother…

'_Hey mom? Do ya think that you and dad can invent time travelling?' A young, nine year old Dena asked her mother. Her mother laughed, as she sketched out a diagram of some complicated looking structure._

'_That, is quite a good question, Denaturant,' Her mother said, as her long graceful arms move up and down the sketching paper._

_Dena giggled at the use of the chemistry term, a.k.a, her famous nickname that her parents use to call her at times. She looks expectantly at her mother, who is quiet for a minute, writing some notes on the side._

'_Many scientists debated over this topic. And no, time travelling is not possible, nor can it be invented. Time here on Earth only moves forwards, and that's all there is to it. Think of a line.'_

'_It goes on forever,' Dena chirped._

'_Yes. However, though time travelling is impossible - there are parallel worlds.'_

'_Parallel world?'_

'_Indeed - they are worlds containing different time periods. Parallel worlds enable for the time, past, and future, to all exist at once. They all co-exist - even if humans will never get to see the past or the future.'_

'_...Ow.' Dena stated, scratching her head, her prestigious nine year old mind not able to handle such a concept._

_Her mother laughed. 'Yes, quite hard to grasp isn't it? In the end, yes and no, time travel is fully possible.'_

_Nine year old Dena walked away, more confused than ever. _

"...something the matter?"

"Huh?!" Dena snaps her head to the direction of the speaker, meeting a pair of brilliant azure blue eyes. They belong to a tall looking girl, wearing the standard uniform of the cafe Dena is eating in - the skirt frankly too short if you ask Dena - who is staring down at her expectantly. Surveying the waitress's face, Dena instantly recognizes her - and is reduced to sputters.

_Earlier in the day, Dena walked into a clothing store with a pocketful of money that Mokuba so kindly lend to her. Afterall, she couldn't hang around in Japan with the same set of clothes and underwear. Ain't no shame in that._

_Dena carelessly grabbed hoodies, baggy shirts, comfortable looking pants, a pair of sneakers, and of course bras and panties and whatnot. However, a cute looking dress catches her eye. Dena stares at it momentarily. Her wardrobe hardly consists of any dresses or skirts - number one, Dena hates wearing feminine clothing. It means she has to expose skin. Number two, if she wears something "girly" she'll look like a dumb blonde._

_She remembered once, as a younger child she used to wear skirts and dresses like any other little girl. She shortly stops after she entered middle school at the ripe age of nine years old, and kept on recieving comments from stupid eighth graders commenting that "if she was so smart why does she look like a dumb blonde?" From that point, Dena stopped wearing girly clothes._

_So at that moment, for the hell of it, Dena decided to try the dress on. She stride into the dressing rooms, carelessly swinging a door open, not bothering to check if anyone was inside it - which was her biggest and stupidest mistake._

_Inside the small cubicular room, was a girl probably Dena's age or older - and she was in a bikini. Dena blinks. All she can see her bright red tomato face in the reflection of the mirror facing her. Her eyes trailed to the reflection of the girl - who was very pretty if Dena had to say. Pale soft looking skin, an elegant neck and slim shoulders, long and lean looking legs - very pretty indeed._

"_Woah," Dena stated, in a daze. _

_The girl stared at her weirdly, with wide brilliant blue eyes. "Uhm...sorry, this room is taken."_

"_O-oh yeah. This is awkward. I'm awkward. You look real nice in that bikini. Wait, what?" Dena fails in her own stupor. _

_The brunette haired stranger broke out into an amused smile. "Really?"_

"_S-SORRY!" Dena blurted, slamming the door shut, dropping the dress, and running out of the store with her purchases._

The waitress now seemed to recognize Dena as well, familarity creeping on her face. "Ah...you're that stranger." A bashful small smile appears on her face, as well as Dena, as if both girls were both re-imagining the awkward scenario where they met in the dressing room…

"I'm Dena." It slips out of her mouth in another moment of stupor.

"Oh?" The girl cocks her head, her brown, silky bangs falling across her face in the direction. "Anzu, that's my name. Hey, you looked really trouble back there."

"Uh...uh, yeah!" Dena quickly gathers all parts of the letter, shoving it deep into the depths of her pockets.

Anzu looks at Dena carefully. "Say, I'll serve you some dessert, a special around here. On the house." Spinning on her heel, Anzu disappears off to the kitchen. Dena blinks. She reaches her cheeks, alarmed to feel how heated her cheeks are.

"Man...I am so dumb!" She mumbles, taking out her deck. She quickly shuffles through it. _Next stop, I guess I'll head off to some places to buy new trading cards. Wonder if they're any good places around here?_

Anzu quickly returns, with a plate of cake. She smiles at Dena. "Cream House Cake, specialty of the cafe." Her eyes fall on the trading cards in Dena's hands. "Cool, you play Duel Monsters?"

"Y-yeah."

"Well that's nice! A bunch of my friends that I know at school love Duel Monsters. One of them even has a grandpa that owns a game shop where they sell a bunch of cards - say, want me to show you there after you finish your cake and I finish up my shift?"

Dena blinks. _Speak up stupid!_ "Yeaahhhh. Uhm, it's a date." _MOTHER, why'd ya have to say it that way!_

Anzu winks, saluting. "It's date. Enjoy your cake, and I'll bring you the tab for the other things you ordered." Dena watches the struting figure of Anzu walk off, as she serves more customers around with the same charming air that she radiates.

* * *

"Welcome, to the Kame Game Shop!" Anzu proclaims, pointing at the sign.

Dena smiles at the small looking shop. "Cool."

"Haiiiii, Anzu!" Both girls hear a high pitched voice yell. Dena turns to see a whole group of other kids, probably a year older than her, heading over to Anzu and her. In the group, well, the only girl in the group, is a lavender haired girl with a bobbing yellow ribbon in her hair, waving ecstatically at both of them. _Wait, lavender?! Freaking lavender hair?!_ Dena blinks rapidly, straightening her glasses and squinting closer at ribbon girl.

She indeed had lavender hair - matched with deep purple eyes.

Dena does a double take. She shakes it off. _It's just freaking hair spray and contacts and crap. No biggie. No need for your freak-o-meter to go off. _

"Ah! Hey guys! Yugi, you were just the guy I was looking for!" Anzu greets the whole group with a knowing smile. She turns to Dena, extending her hand to the big group of teenagers. All seem to wear an identical theme of school uniforms - the boys all wore a plain blue collared outfit, while the girls wore a pink school jacket and twirly blue skirt.

"These are friends from school, Domino High School. That's Mutou Yugi," She points at a boy - and Dena couldn't stop herself from commenting.

"What's wrong with your _hair?_" Dena points rudely at the boy, gawking at his crazy hairdo. _How in the hell is it genetically possible for one to have THREE shades of color for their hair?! THE HECK?!_

The boy, Yugi, flushes furiously red at the face.

"Dena!" Anzu chastises her.

Dena turns red herself. "S-sorry…" A couple of other boys in the group snicker lightly with laughter. However, Dena couldn't help but sneak another peek to Yugi. He, he looks like...An image of a manga book with Yugi's face on the cover appears in her mind. "W-WHHAATT?!" Dena explodes. Everyone looks weirdly at her. "S-sorry I'm being rude," She sputters. "I come from America, so I'm not used to seeing such...unique hair."

Yugi is quick to forgive. "No prob. I get that a lot anyways - wow, you come from the Americas?"

"Uhm, yep."

"Nice to know - Hirito Honda - though everyone calls me Honda," A spiky haired brunette speaks up, giving Dena a tough smile.

"Ya mean like the car brand?" Dena says dubiously. The others laugh.

Honda grins at her. "Sure, like the car brand."

A blonde haired, tall and rugged looking boy bumps into the introductions. "Katsuya Jonouchi, at your service! But call me Jonouchi if you will, Katsuya's too formal."

Dena's eyes trail over to another unique character, a timid looking boy with snowy white hair and soft brown eyes. He smiles politely, and bows to Dena's direction. "Bakura Ryou. Hello."

The lavender haired girl jumps, raising a hand. "Aannnd, Nosoka Miho~! Call me Miho, because Miho loves to be called that!"

Dena smiles at the whole group of friendly teens. "Adena Kemp, though I insist on most calling me Dena."

Instantly, she receives strange looks from Yugi, Bakura, and Anzu. "...Adena Kemp, you say?" Ryou speaks up, frowning slightly.

"Yeah, why?"

"Ah...nothing, probably." He smiles, though Dena can clearly still see doubt in his features.

However, she can still feel the questioning eyes of Anzu trained upon her for some reason. She saw Yugi momentarily glance over to Bakura in question, but quickly shrugs it off. _Eh, that was a bit weird. _

"Oh yes, Yugi!" Anzu clasps her hands together. "Dena here plays a bit of Duel Monsters - do you think your grandpa can help her out!"

"Hey, that's just the thing why I'm here!" Jonouchi chimes in.

Yugi smiles cheerfully. "That makes all of us! The more the merrier! Let's head on in!"

All introduced, the huge group of friends enter the shop. "Hello, grandpa?"

An old man pops up from behind the counter. He glances up from his newspaper, smiling warmly at the whole group. "Ahh, what a huge group of customers today!"

"Yep!" Yugi turns back to Jonouchi and Dena. "Before I ask my gramps to teach you guys some tips and such, I'm going to ask for him to show you this super awesome rare dueling card he owns!"

Dena raises an eyebrow of interest. "Super awesome rare dueling card?" She repeats, glancing over to Jonouchi. He smiles knowingly, a look of pride shining in his eyes.

"Aw yeah gramps! Show the rest watcha got!"

A grin stretches on his old face. "Hmm...should I take it out?"

"Aw, c'mon Gramps, please!"

"Alright, alright!" Grandpa laughs. He looks to the left, then to the right in furtive movements. Then, he produces a small looking box. "This is a _very_ special card kids, that I treasure with all my heart - and that is the Blue Eyes White Dragon." He opens the box, revealing a single card laid in the velvet plush. It is a detailed picture of a dragon, brilliant blue eyes, hence the name. The audience of teens lean in to all take a look.

"That is a rare card!" Bakura gasps. "There are only four in the whole word, isn't that right Mr. Mutou?"

"Yes, yes indeed." Grandpa nods over to the white haired boy, patting the box. "It was given to me by a close friend, and I hold it dear with all my heart."

Honda frowns, grabbing the card out of the box.

"Aah!" Everyone gasps, at the obvious offense of him so blatantly waving such a precious card around.

"I don't see what's so special about this thinga-mah-bob!"

"Honda, that 'thinga-mah-bob' is pretty freaking powerful!" Dena gasps in amazement. "4000 attack and defense? That's a card I would kill to have!"

Mr. Mutou panics, smacking Honda upright on the head and retrieving the Blue Eyes in a blink. "Ow…" Honda moans, rubbing the place he was hit. The old man wags his finger at all of them.

"No, no, no! This card is absolutely off limits!"

"You must be a pretty powerful duelist, Mr. Mutou!" Dena compliments, jealously eyeing the Blue Eyes.

"He is pretty talented!" Yugi happily agrees.

_Bang!_

The door swings open.

"Eh?"

All turn to the direction of the entrance, seeing a tall, brooding stranger with a briefcase standing at the doorway. Dena frowns, a bit freaked out at the change of the atmosphere. Why is her Dena senses going off? Like she's getting a sudden sense of...foreboding?

"Hello!" Mr. Mutou greets. However, his expression changes, when he and Dena seem to recognize the stranger at the same time.

"Kaiba?" Dena wonders aloud.

"It's you!" Jonouchi exclaims, rolling up his sleeves. All of his friends and Dena look to him, confused. "The jerk who tried to steal gramp's Blue Eyes!"

"Steal?!" Dena repeats, freaked out. She glances back to Kaiba, who struts briskly into the shop, with that same superior air about him. He looks coldly at everyone, his gaze barely resting on Dena for more than three seconds.

"Steal is a strong word." He smirks to Jounouchi.

"Grrr!" Jonouchi and Honda seem to lunge for Kaiba, but Yugi holds him back.

"What do you want, Kaiba?"

"Ah, it's _you._" Kaiba spits out bitterly. "Naturally, I only came here to finish what I started. Not to mention, the rematch I want to gain back from you, Yugi." His cold blue gaze piercing at him.

All instantly part when he makes his way to the counter. "Old man," Kaiba hisses, slamming his briefcase on the counter. "I came to make an offer with you, for your Blue Eyes. All of these cards," He opens the case to reveal packed rows of trading cards - very powerful trading cards, from what Dena can see. Everyone surrounding Kaiba and grandpa gasp in awe at the offer.

The old man shakes his head, his gaze narrowed at the tall brunette. "No. Kaiba, I can see you only want this card for power - this card is very special to me. So please don't try to take it away by dirty tricks once again - this card holds a place in my heart."

"Tch!" Kaiba slams the briefcase hard. "Very well. I see that you're too senile to actually take the wise choice - I try reasoning with you, but it seems that I have to roll with things my way." Kaiba briskly walks away. "You were warned, old man. Tomorrow, some people that work for me will come for you and escort you to a duel."

"Are you challenging me?"

"Yes I am. The Blue Eyes will be at stake."

"Hmph."

"Ah, grandpa, are you seriously going to go through with this?" Anzu exclaims.

"Kaiba. It seems that you need to be taught a lesson - so yes, I accept your challenge."

The teenage billionaire sneers. "First wise choice you made. I'll see you in the dueling arena tomorrow."

_Bang!_

The door slams shut, leaving everyone is a daze.

"H-how scary…" Miho mutters, twirling her hair.

"Gramps, are ya sure you wanna go through with that?" Jonouchi asks Mr. Mutou, looking a bit worried.

"Yes." The old man replies, eyes full of confidence. Dena blinks, staring back and forth between the door that Kaiba just left and grandpa. Was that really Seto Kaiba? Well, obviously it was - but he seemed, Dena doesn't know how to explain in, more of a _jerk?_ A powerful hungry asshole? Something along the lines. Yugi notices Dena's expression, and smiles apolegtically at her.

"Sorry you had to see all of that, Dena."

"Uhm...that's ok. But did he really try to steal the Blue Eyes?"

All at once, everyone's eyes fall on the card protectively held in grandpa's hands. Yugi and Jonouchi both look to each other.

"Well...it's a long story. But yeah, he did try to steal it at some point…"

"But luckily, Yugi beat him, that jackass!" Jonouchi curses, waving a fist. "Gramps, ya better beat that rich boy to the ground tomorrow!"

Mr. Mutou chuckles in answer. "Don't worry Jounouchi - I have just the cards…"

Dena zones out while Mr. Mutou starts taking out more trading cards to show to everyone. _...I don't think I can trust that Kaiba anymore. _She, however, is weighed with the reminder that she is living at his place temporarily. _I'ma confront that guy later, see what he's up to. As for Brooke…_ Dena glances around the whole group.

_Just where the heck is she?_

* * *

**A/N: That's the end of chapter 5! So quite a thing happened in this chapter: Dena has a letter as well. Plot twist! Will Dena ever find her sister? And very strange sci-fi things going on here. If anyone here is confused about the concept of time travelling and alternate dimensions and whatnot in Dena's letter, don't be afraid to say so! Reviews are much appreciated, please don't be afraid to speak your thoughts, silent readers!**


	6. Darkness Creeping?

**A/N: Thank you all who took the time to read A Manga to Reality! Your lovely and detailed reviews make me so happy! It's really great to hear input and thoughts from you readers! Let's get on with the chapter!**

XxHeartMenderxX:** I pretty much went SCIENCE all up on this fic! XD If you're still a bit confused, don't be afraid to say anything, because I will gladly explain it to you, or the fic will eventually reveal more information in future chapters! **

Sass-Bot:** Although I already thanked you through PM, once again thanks so much for the long review - it's like waking up to a Christmas present! You're instincts and guesses are right about some things, things I would not want to spoil. Eventually, all of your questions will be revealed - eventually! And wow, I never thought anyone would be interested in Brooke's and Dena's parents - but yes, I will show more glimpses of them through flash backs and such. **

shadowclanwarrior: **Thank you once again for checking this fic out! I'm glad that this type of fic (fangirl transports into favorite anime/TV show/book) is original enough for your tastes! I made sure that it was well written and rounded enough to put out on the inter-webz. Brooke is gonna try to fic a lotta things in the Yugioh world (due to her letter's warnings) and Dena...well, she might make things a bit harder for Brooke. XD**

LeafeonLover:** Thanks for the little review - ah yes, you are correct about Anzu's and Dena's interaction with the dressing room scene is written off to have much more implications than what meets the eye - it was fully and wholly intentional. Maybe, a bit more than admiration…? Thanks once again, and I hope you can read more chapters in the future!**

* * *

**~Chapter Six~**

Dena knows plenty of things. But at the same time, she doesn't know other things. Such as:

_**1\. The concept of having friends her age**_

_**2\. The concept of casual banter**_

_**3\. The concept of flirting and what was considered a date**_

"So how do you like Domino City so far, Dena?" The voice of Anzu calls out to her.

Dena snaps out of her thoughts, her mind coming back to reality. Her hand clutches the ice cream cone that Anzu bought for both of them, since the two were walking through Domino City Park on their way home, that happens to be the same direction. _Is this what they call flirting? Somebody buying ice cream for you and walking home with you?_ Dena thought, feeling heat in her face. Glancing back to Anzu's expectant face, Dena straightens her glasses.

_I really shouldn't be having these unnatural thoughts. _

"Yep. Pretty different given from someone who spent all her life in America."

Anzu nods and smiles. She takes a bite out of her ice cream, rather than licking it - Dena wonders how she doesn't get a brain freeze so easily. "So Dena...there's a reason why I wanted to walk home with you. I wanted to talk to you, in private." Anzu ruffles her shiny brunette hair, looking a bit doubtful.

For some reason, Dena feels that all sense of breathing, tightens for a millisecond. "Uhmmm, yeah, what is it Anzu?"

The other girl's eyes trail off to the side, over to a nearby playground. Children romp around happily and playfully around the place, with the mothers, fathers, and babysitters sitting off to the side. The cool autumn breeze passes through peacefully through the space of the park, the trees melting into colors of red, brown, and golden. A nice and calm and typical day of the season of fall.

"...Any siblings, Dena?" Anzu asks, her eyes still fixated on the kids in the park. At this point, both of them stopped nearby the gate, given that Anzu seems to be fixing her attention close on someone in the park…

Dena feels herself a bit surprised at the question, but answers dutifully. "Yeah. A little brother and an older sister."

"What are their names?"

"Cargan and Brooke."

Anzu's head snaps to Dena that instant, wide eyed for a moment. "You have a sister named Brooke?"

Dena makes a funny expression on Anzu. "Uhm. Yeah. Something the matter?"

Anzu is quiet for another moment. She turns her attention back to the playground. A breath inhales, as if Anzu were about to say something. However, her shoulders slump back down, as if shying away from what she was about to say. Dena watches her closely, curious. Just when she was about to ask what was wrong, Anzu suddenly says, "I don't like that guy."

"Huh?"

The taller girl nudges her head towards her left direction. "That guy. I'm getting a bad vibe from him."

Dena looks over to the direction Anzu was pointing at - and catches sight of this stranger right away. "You mean...the guy with the greasy hair and baggy jacket?"

"Yeah."

Looking closer at him, Dena gets the same vibe too. This stranger just seem - out of place. A character that doesn't seem to belong in a place full of children and calmness. There were no strollers nearby him, indicating that he brought a young child to the park, no bags next to him full of toys or such. It is simply just a man sitting on a bench. But that is what made both Dena and Anzu uncomfortable at the same time. The guy had no indication of belonging to the park - yet he was watching some children closely, with his covered gaze. The stranger seems to particularly have his sights set on a little girl sitting on the edge of a sandbox. There are no signs of any grown-ups watching her, her parents, nearby.

Without any warning, Anzu struts into the playground, with an air of purpose.

"Anzu…?" Dena calls out.

A few seconds after Anzu walks into the park, the guy gets up as well, his wide, dark eyes gazing on the little girl. Seeing this, Dena rushes inside, jogging next to Anzu. Once next to Anzu, she witnesses the stranger picking the little girl up by her hand. Dena feels herself cringe for some reason - seeing the little girl's bright red suspenders clashing against the dustiness, the griminess of the stranger's baggy jacket.

"A beautiful baby girl you have there," Says the voice of Anzu. Though it was hardened and bold.

"Uhhhh...yeah." The man mumbles, struggling to keep the hyper little girl in his arms. The little girl didn't seem to have any clue of who the stranger is nor did she seem to have any fear of him - due to young age, she probably had no idea of the danger she is in. Baggy, as Dena dubs him, is blatantly looking around, in quick, short, and furtive movements. Dena, who always felt she has the solution to anything, at that moment felt stupid at what to do. Clearly Baggy is meant to be reckoned with.

"Is she _your _little girl?" Anzu says, her arms crossing in an authorative matter.

Baggy shifts around, his feet positioning to take off. "Duhhh...yeah...I'm her uncle."

Dena, with all of her impulsiveness, wanted to blurt out a 'YEAH RIGHT YA LIAR' to Baggy, but is fearful to see that he can take off at any moment. However, Anzu is calm, positioning herself to block Baggy's escape route in such a subtle and casual way.

"Uncle, huh?" Anzu leans down to the little girl. "What's her name?"

"Uhm, Stacy." Baggy replies, the definition of stupor imprinted on his face.

"Stacy, so I hear? What's your name little girl?" Anzu asks, her voice gentle when talking to the kid.

"Vaaa...Eeeva! Eva! Eva!" The little girl laughs, her high pitched voice stating uncomprehensible blabber to any grown up. But to Anzu and Dena, it sure didn't sound anything among the lines of 'Stacy.' At this point, Baggy looks nervous, his eyes flitting back and forth, sweat apparent at the side of his face. Dena looks wide-eyed back and forth between Baggy, Eva, and Anzu. Baggy looks as if he is about to pick up Eva and run away at any moment - !

"Hey look, Anzu!" Dena shouts. "I think she wants a hug!"

Anzu plays off this. "You're right, Eva _does_ want a hug!" Taking action, Anzu sweeps down to Eva picking her up in her arms, before Baggy could do anything himself.

"Eh?!" Baggy grunts, surprised.

Dena stands protectively next to Anzu, glaring at Baggy. Baggy, knowing that his jig is up, turns and steals away. Just as Dena was about to go chasing after the sleazy stranger, they both hear a nasal voice yelling for Eva. Both girls turn to the direction of the voice, an old lady with painfully obvious dyed blonde hair, walking clumsily towards them.

"Who are you?" She says, awfully suspicious to Anzu.

"You her family?"

"Of course!" The old lady guffaws. "She's my granddaughter! Now let go of her, stranger!"

Anzu, looking a bit miffed and annoyed at the lady's incompetence and cluelessness as to what was about to happen to her grandchild, hands Eva back to her. "Keep close watch of your kid, next time." She calls out, hands on hips, as the two walk away. Dena stares, bug-eyed at Anzu, in admiration. She manages a laugh.

"W-whoa….good thinking there, Anzu."

Anzu laughs, breezy and carefree. "Well, you helped out too. You were great!"

"Pffftt, please, I wouldn't have noticed what was happening! I wouldn't have seen that a mile away! It was so cool how you saved that kid - you'd make a great mom, Anzu!" Dena mentally does a facepalm when she lets that slip out of her mouth. Anzu bursts out into laughter, tension all released and the dire event that had transpired, floating away like a dark cloud.

"Haha...thank you! Kids are nice." Anzu sighs, as they both walk out of the park.

"Yeah, yeah…" Dena suddenly remembers her brother, leading her to remember Anzu's strange question she asked her earlier before the Baggy incident. "You were asking something about my older sister, Brooke?"

Anzu's face fades away, her expression contorting into a half frown and a look of doubt. "Ah...yes. That." Anzu looks to the sky, once again. "...Nevermind, it was a bit silly, what I was about to ask you anyway." Dena cocks her head to the side, uncertain at Anzu's dismissal. Her new friend seem pretty curious about the matters of Brooke. Anzu's face blooms into a smile, as she waves it off.

"It's not a big deal, really. It was really nice to meet you, Dena! I hope we can see each other again!" Anzu quickly engulfs Dena in a well intentioned friendly hug - Dena feeling herself heat up and stopping short of breath when feeling the other's girl body pressed against her, all in that moment - and it quickly ends as it happened when Anzu pulls away.

"See ya!" Anzu shouts, as she runs off, across the street.

In a daze, Dena doesn't say anything, but stares off after Anzu's shrinking figure as she runs farther into the distance. Still feeling as if she were in a dream-like state, Dena aimlessly walks back to the Kaiba mansion. Unfortunately. Her mind recalls the incident of Kaiba storming into the Kame Game shop. _Should I be worried? Hmph, maybe I should scold ol' Kaiba. _Dena thought, frowning at his actions.

She walks all the way around the back of the mansion. Due to Kaiba's paranoia and jerkiness, he ordered that Dena has to go through the backway entrance in order for public eye to not see her enter the mansion. _Seriously, what's the matter with some innocent teenaged girl walking into someone's house?_ Dena thinks to herself grumpily, as she is lead into the mansion by a security guard.

He soons leaves her as soon as she walks through the long hallways of the Kaiba Mansion, heading ways to her floor, when she hears a loud, but hushed conversation from a room with a closed door.

"_Big brother, please!"_ Dena hears the muffled voice of Mokuba yell.

Curiosity getting the best of her, she edges closer to the door, curiously putting an ear next to it.

"_Don't be so senseless." _Hisses back Seto Kaiba. _"You will only lose if you try to duel against Yugi tomorrow, in your part of Death-T4."_

Dena feels her face scrunch up in a small frown. _Death-T4? The heck is that? And what the heck does Kaiba mean when Mokuba's gonna duel against Yugi…?_

"_B-but brother…! You're just saying that I'll lose…"_

"_Yes. Which means you'll get the Penalty Game."_

"_You wouldn't do that to me, Seto…"_

"_Bah! Mokuba, in the world of games and power, there is no room for mercy nor for weaknesses or any brotherly love! Now I am telling you this to be sensible and I am giving you one last chance - back out of Death T4 and nothing will befall you!"_

"_I'M GOING TO DO IT!"_

Dena jumps, hearing Mokuba shout at his brother. Unease creeps in, as she backs away from the door. What was all this talk about Death-T or something, that the Kaiba brothers were talking of? _Does this have something to do with the duel that Kaiba challenged Yugi's grandpa to? What are they going to do…?!_

Heart pounding, Dena gathers her shopping bags, and backs away from the door at full speed. In the nick of time, Mokuba slams the door open, storming away, just as Dena is disappearing upstairs.

* * *

'_The Spirit will take over Ryou today to take vengeance on Karita, the gym teacher who bullied Ryou at school on his first day._

_Be prepared, and confront of him. It is terrifying, the thought of it, I know. But be strong, younger me. Though, do not confront him when the Spirit takes over the first time - confront him some point later._

_Do not be afraid. And I wish you the best of luck. If you do nothing...I understand.'_

Brooke feels her hands shaking, as she slowly adds salt into stew for their dinner. Loudly, she breathes in and out rhymatically, to keep the speed of her breathing in check. Though hurting her teeth, she keeps her mouth clamped, to stop herself from chattering. Goosebumps are prickled on her neck. She read the next part of the letter, marked September 24th, when she woke up and Ryou left for school already.

She was terrified.

_I never really liked the Spirit._ She thought shakily, as she prepares the table. _It was so unsettling to see him control the body of Ryou...he was ruthless. _Brooke recalls the Spirit's, Yami Bakura's past - tragic indeed. The tender part of her wishes to help the Spirit in some way - but she was no fool. The ancient spirit is insane. And there are no predicting his actions now, since she is in the actual situation…

"Hello!" She hears the voice of Ryou announce, as he enters the apartment.

"W-welcome home," Brooke stutters out, breaking free of her nervous ridden thoughts. "Dinner's ready."

Ryou enters the room, in his respective school uniform. "Really?" His face lights up, remembering the taste of Brooke's home cooking. "Thank you!"

"The pleasure is mine." Brooke replies, her thoughts still cast over Yami Bakura. "Eat up -"

Instantaneuosly, Ryou stuffs a shoveful of rice into his mouth, followed with some leftover spam.

"...and enjoy?" Brooke blinks. She giggles.

Ryou gulps down his food, red flaring on his pale face. "...Forgive me for my table manners."

"No, no it's no problem," laughs Brooke, as she takes her place at the dinner table. "You acted as if you haven't eaten in a millennia!"

"Haha...well, I did miss lunch and I only ate toast for breakfast…"

Brooke feels herself gasp, for worry over Ryou. "What! You hardly ate anything then!"

Ryou laughs good heartedly, rubbing the back of his head. "I woke up pretty late, if I must confess. I didn't have anytime to pack up a good lunch or eat a huge breakfast. And I didn't want to wake you up, Brooke."

Brooke feels warmth in her cheeks when he says this. "You're the one going to school!"

"Yes, yes, that is the case." Ryou spoons some stew into his mouth. "I'm still not use to the whole living on my own type of thing...mother always woke me up and made lunches for me." He mumbles the last part, his voice trailing off.

"Your mother…?"

Ryou's eyes are averted now, as he busies himself with serving more food onto his plate. "This is really good food Brooke. I think I have an old pair of shoes in my closet that might fit you - I'll give it to you some time later." He states, clearly trying to change the subject. Brooke nods, silent.

"Thank you for the kind thought…"

_Why does he always brush off something that always seems to bother him? _She smiles sadly to herself, knowing the answer. _He doesn't want to trouble anyone. That's him, Ryou Bakura. Though he shouldn't always keep everything to himself…whatever did happen to his mother, anyway? His whole family?_ Brooke recalls herself before, when doing some research on Ryou Bakura back in her world, on his biography. She is certain he had a deceased sister and a father that leaves his son alone too often, but as for his mother and other family members, it always eludes any fan of Yu-Gi-Oh.

"...think I should cut my hair?"

"Huh?" Brooke is pulled out of her thoughts. She looks over to Ryou, with wide eyes, registering what he said. "Cut your hair? Why would you want to do that?"

"Ah! Uhm…" Ryou scratches his cheek, looking a bit regretful to say this aloud to Brooke. "J-just a random thought, no problem at all…"

Brooke immediately recalls his incident with the bully of a gym teacher, Karita, from the manga of his first day at Domino High School. "Hey...if some guy teased you about your hair at school, don't listen to them." Brooke says in a sincere tone. "You have such pretty hair, and you should be proud of it."

Ryou blinks.

Brooke blinks.

Nose turns red. "Aah! I m-mean, not p-p-pretty, just really nice hair, uhm, not like you look like a girl or anything, just uhm, just don't cut it!" She trips over her words, covering her face, feeling so hot at her cheeks

Ryou bursts out in laughter. "Thank you so much for the compliment, Brooke." He grins to her. "I guess there really is no way to describe my hair...it is pretty."

"Haha...yes, it is. Why do you keep it long anyway? I-I mean, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Of course not, you can ask! Well...my little sister asked me to grow it when I was a kid." Nostalgia overtakes his face. Brooke feels herself hold her breath. This was the first time she ever hears Ryou speak of another family member - his dear little sister. "She thought it'd look better, no questions asked. She was pretty straightforward." A laugh weakly escapes Ryou, though sadness is slumping his shoulders. "...I guess it became a thing for me to grow it out."

"I...I see." Brooke, of course, does not question whereabouts of his sister. Dena flashes across her mind. As much as they fought and as much Brooke held resentment against her sibling in the depths of her jealousy against Dena...Brooke can never imagine her sister _dead._ It must be horrible, horrible for Ryou… _When will I ever see her again?_ Brooke suddenly ponders, a freezing cold taking hold of her.

Relief is on Ryou's face, due to the fact that Brooke didn't ask anymore about his little sister. "But it's alright now, Brooke. I won't cut it." He smiles, through the sadness. Brooke tries to smile, but looks closely and longingly at Ryou.

_You don't always need to hide everything all the time...you don't always need to be alone. _

"Oof…!" Ryou flinches, spoon clattering at the table. He hunches over, hand on chest. Brooke jumps, alarmed.

_The Spirit!_

"B-Bakura?" She calls out, struggling to control her panic and shakiness of her voice.

Shaking slightly at his shoulders, a gasp of what sounds like pain escapes Ryou. "...Y...Yes…" He stumbles to his feet. Brooke starts to get up, but Ryou raises a hand. "N-no, it's no t-trouble…" He rasps, hand still clenched on his heart. Brooke stares at him, wide-eyed with worry.

"Bakura…"

"E-excuse me!" With that, Ryou disappears into the bathroom, shutting the door loudly.

Brooke stares off after the closed door. "Stay strong, Ryou." She whispers.

* * *

The pain again. Foreign. Suffocating. Gripping.

Ryou pants over the sink, still clutching his heart. This pain again…! What was happening?!

"_Ahahahaha…"_

"Who!" Ryou raises his voice. He quickly lowers it, remembering Brooke in the other room. "Who...is this?"

"_Ah! My Master can finally hear me! Today is a truly glorious day!"_

"Who are you?!" Ryou feels the hairs all over his body raising.

"_Yes, yes, yes...today should be celebrated! After 3000 years I have found the Puzzle and I can now communicate with my _beloved _Master!"_ The voice cackles.

Ryou grips the sides of the sinks, shaking. The voice is looming over his head, as if a coldness is passing through his whole body every time it speaks. It is all too familiar...that dark voice Ryou would hear in his head a few times ever since he received the Ring and only dismiss it as part of his conscience...has now manifest into its own personality…

"G-get out of my head!" Ryou mutters, his temples throbbing.

"_Oh-ho-ho, that is no way to talk to me, partner. To answer you insistent questions, I am the other YOU. From the Millennium Iteeemm…" _The voice sings, taunting.

Ryou gasps, doubling over, pain striking in his chest once again...a warm, liquidy sensation he feels runs down his chest. In panic, the boy fumbles open his school jacket, shocked to see red spreading through his pure white shirt. Ripping open his undershirt, to his horror, he sees his beloved Ring's metal spikes embedded into his skin. Shakingly, Ryou looks at the mirror. A scared little boy, he sees, pale, shaky, and sweaty staring at the mirror - only with this freak artifact stabbing him in his chest, _part of him…_

"_Hahahaha! We are connected _forever!_ Thanks to you, I have finally found the Millennium Puzzle! From this point forward, you are my _eternal master!"

Head throbbing, heart pounding, adrenaline pumping, and pain suffocating on Ryou, the whole world is spinning for him. "Go away! Disappear!"

"_That's not very NICE."_

Pain strikes Ryou again, and he cries out. He sinks to the ground, panting.

"_Me, who has granted your innermost desires and wishes as collateral…"_

"W-w-what?"

"_Don't you remember when you play with your dear friends? 'This is fun!'" _Ryou shudders when the voice imitates his voice in a mocking manner. _"' I hope we can play forever and ever!' That's what YOU said! So I granted this wish!"_

Darkness grips Ryou. "Y-you mean…!" Flashes and bits of memories of his old friends appear in his mind. "No…! It can't be!"

"_You'll thank me someday. Now I have to claim the puzzle! And since I'm in such a good mood, I must pay back these actions, for you once again, Landlord!"_

"What are you planning?!" Ryou mumbles, his eyes widening when he hears Voice states this.

_"Pah, you don't want to be bald, do you?! That insolent man has insulted you, Master...he must pay!"_

"N-no!" Terror and realization falls on Ryou. Thoughts and regrets of his fallen friends, in comas, come to mind. And it was because of this Voice...this Voice that resides within him, the Ring…

"_And after I pay that little visit to your teacher, I will play a nice and fun game with your little friend - Brooke, is it? What a nice little girl!"_

Ryou's head snaps up when Voice mentions the girl. "You leave her alone!"

"_Stop arguing! You really should rest, Master!"_

The coldness spreads from Ryou's chest. It creeps to his head, black eating away at his vision. Before it swallows him, Ryou tries to scream Brooke's name, but it all goes to black.

The body slumps over, for a moment, lifeless. It snaps to life, back to its feet.

A toothy, malevolent grin is on its face.

"Now to pay my dues!" It, of what was Ryou, laughs.

Remembering that another one of his Host's little friends is outside, he buttons up his shirt. "I'll deal with her later, like I said, _Master._" He chuckles quietly, keen on keeping this process. Opening the door, he sees the girl sitting across the table, staring straight at him.

"Ah...hello, Brooke." He puts on the smile of what his Host probably would.

The girl, Brooke nods back. "Hello."

With that, shaking off her presence, he walks off to the door to finish his business.

"Bakura…?"

He stops in his tracks, irritance flaring. "What?"

Arms slips around his neck, warmth momentarily engulfing him. A...hug? Why is this girl touching him? Gritting his teeth, he bears it, despite his hatred being so close in human contact.

"...Be safe while walking out."

"I will, there's no need." He says in his Host's voice. He walks out of the door, smirking. Such a shy, and timid spirit...it will be so funny when he'll crush it once he's done with that gym teacher.

* * *

**A/N: Yeah...look who's heereeee! It took me some trouble to write this chapter, I hope you guys like it! It's considerably darker than the rest of the chapters so far...Reviews are highly appreciated! See you in next chapter!**


	7. Penalty Game?

AlexistheEliatrope: Yami-Bakura don't you dare touch her! *holds Brooke protectively* Will Brooke and Dena ever meet?

**Welllll, I have a feeling you might not like what'll happen to Brooke this chapter. coughYamiBakuracanbearealjerkcough. As for the matters of Brooke and Dena, well it seriously depends…**

Sass-Bot:

**Thank you, I want to make sure to build up the relationships very well! As for Anzu rescuing the little girl, I got inspired based off this experience I read on Reddit. I thought, 'Aw cool, that's something Anzu would totally do.' Oh and don't you worry. Dena will see Kaiba's cruelty to Mokuba VERRAH soon... (coughmaybeinthischaptercough) MAN, I'm having a bad cough today! ;D **

ShadowClanWarrior: Good chapter. Can't wait to see what happens next :).

**Thank you! A lot is going to happen in this chapter, so hold on to your seat!**

XxHeartMendexXX: Ohhhh, Drama in the Kaiba household! Also Anzu... ugh... But I hope Dena stays strong. Don't be corrupted by Anzu's friendship speeches! Stay true to you! Poor Ryou... So much has happened already! But that hug... Bakura secretly liked it, he's just embarrassed. lol. I really love this story! Seriously good work!

**Yep, drama's going on! In this fic, Anzu won't be annoying so don't make any judgments yet! ;p**

The Rainwalker:

**Ah - what a strange character that awaits here. Hello new reviewer - thank you very much for reviewing and reading, and I'm glad you took a chance on this story. I know a lot of people aren't quite the huge fans of 'fangirl falls into their favorite anime/TV show/book' kinda storyline, but I did put a whole lotta thought and effort into making this original as possible, with my own twist. **

**Personally, I prefer to follow the Japanese version - because honestly I feel that I can take everything more seriously. Thank you for reviewing once again, and I hope you can review more in the future, fellow Rainwalker!**

**~Chapter Seven~**

_The stupid man had no idea he had it coming…_ He snickers silently to himself, walking closer his Landlord's apartment. Clench in his left hand is a small, wooden figure with an unusually twisted, permanent expression of horror - containing the soul of the gym teacher, Karita. _And now, to deal with that girl...I have another wooden figure for her, as well. Yes, how Landlord will be pleased. _Her smirks, turning the keys and opening the door.

"Hello."

He jumps, a bit taken aback. There, sitting behind the table, is his Host's little friend, Brooke. Her eyes mostly covered by her bangs, look straight at him, _expecting _him. He raises an eyebrow. Has she been sitting there, waiting for him this whole time? Shoving the RPG figure of Karita into his pocket, he steps inside, shutting the door behind him. _Heh. Ah well. All the more easier to capture this girl's soul for my Host… _He sneers inside his head.

"You're home late. It's dark outside. What have you been doing?"

His face contorts into a scowl for the briefest second, a bit irritated that this girl is questioning him with such a demanding tone. As fast as it crosses his expression, it falls slack into a calm and steady one. "Ah...nothing quite important."

"Really? Because the normal Ryou Bakura would have told me where he was going and what he was doing." Brooke shoots back, her expression hardened with a faint hostility that He was yet to ever see on this timid, shy girl.

He crosses his arms, giving her a lopsided a smile like a parent would give to a child that is throwing a fit, his patience wearing just about thin with this little girl. "And your point, dear Brooke?"

She takes a deep breath, getting up to her feet. "My point is, you're not Ryou Bakura. You're someone else entirely. And it's thanks to that Ring, isn't it?"

For the first time, he really is taken off guard. Alarm flashes in his mind.

"I may have not told Bakura this, but from the world I came from, I hold plenty knowledge about this universe that you and he reside in. Things that enable me to know the future of this world, in a way." Brooke says, her eyes never getting off him. He stares back, feeling _anger_ biting at the back of his head, slowly spreading all over his body. How _dare_ this smug little girl confront him, and think _she _can intimidate him? He jeers at the girl, sizing her up.

"Alright then. You figured out who I really am. So what? Why should I be scared of _you_?" He shoots back, snarling.

"Well," She leans forward, resting her chin on one hand. "I am perfectly aware that there are other Millennium Items."

His eyes instantly widen at this.

"Seven, to be exact. And I know that you're after them."

He clenches his hands, all forms of alarm gone, only glaring at her with a hateful poison. "Are you after them as well? Or do you possess one?" The glow of his Millennium Ring shines more brightly than ever, from under his shirt. From the glowing light, shadows seem to grow in numbers on the walls from the illuminating light, creeping in on Him. "Anyone who owns an Item, or is after one, or attempts to hinder my mission, becomes my _enemy._" He says carefully, with a slow, steady, and dangerous tone of a voice. Seeing the girl flinch at his sudden change of demeanor, He offers a smile of false security to the girl out of pure mockery.

_She is not so strong, afterall. _His false smile turns into a Cheshire like grin.

"So tell me, girl," He spits. "Spit out the information, or you will indeed regret it."

She blinks, gulping. However, her expression goes back slack, serious and grim. "No, I do not own an Item." She says calmly. "And I am not after them either. But I am here to offer you a fair warning, even if I might have no power to stop you. I know you are a thief of some sort, after the Items, to serve a greater being - not that you actually know or even remember."

He raises an eyebrow, gritting his teeth. Yes, yes, that part was true about him not being able to remember anything after he was awakened...only left with the certain and burning motivation, _desire_, to find and collect the Items.

"And I am here to warn you that you will only get you and your...Host," Brooke's face grimaces when she refers to his Landlord like that. His lips curl into a smile, seeing her tender care for his Host. How _naive._ "Into pain and trouble for both of you. Your actions will only lead you into your downfall. Serve this as a warning, and your Host will not get hurt as well as you."

"Ha! How..._interesting_, to learn about all of this from you, little Brooke." He strolls over to the collection of RPG figures, placing the little toy of Karita in an empty space, along with dozens of other figurines. He reaches for the back, taking out two decks, possessions that Host owns. "So you say you know the future?" He scoffs at this possibility. "Very well. You seem to know quite a lot - too much for my liking. But let's put this truly to the test, shall we?" He turns around, holding out two decks to Brooke.

"...What?" She gives him a confused look.

"Let's put your 'knowledge' about this world to the test. Choose a deck."

Cautious, she complies, taking a deck, taking the left side. He smirks to himself. _Perfect._ "Well, let's play a game of cards."

"You mean...Duel Monsters?" She voices, looking to be in disbelief. "And you're not going to play an RPG Tabletop with me?" Her face darkens when she states this, momentarily glancing over to the rows and rows of figurines sitting in neat formation inside the shelves. He smirks. _So she knows about my skills and methods as well to capturing souls? How very, very interesting. She could be of use. _

"Not Duel Monsters, exactly." He gives a fake, friendly grin, taking his place at the table. He nods over to the other side, to which the little girl sits across from him. "You see, this is a game of mere _chance._" He smiles toothily at this. Brooke's eyes are trained on him, expression unreadable but alarm growing in those light hazel green eyes. "We each get 10 tries. If both players draw a Monster, the one with the higher attack wins. Magic cards are automatic loss. Trap cards are an automatic win. If players both happen to draw a Trap or Spell, it is a draw."

Her eyes widen, clicking all together in her head. "So...this_ is_ a game of chance!"

"Indeed. So are your ways, your knowledge of the future, truly to be reckoned with?" He leans forward. "I made the game. I will let you, little Brooke, make the stakes."

She blinks. "...Alright then. I accept. If I win, you have to leave Bakura alone, and help me,"

He raises his eyebrows. "Help you with what?"

"I won't tell until the game is finished," She says in a firm voice. "If you win…" She trails off, clearly troubled. He smiles, amused.

"No use in backing out now - you already agreed to a Shadow Game. Once the other complies, there is no use backing out anymore."

"So I see. By the way, I am perfectly aware what Shadow Games are." She says in such a calmness that it startles him a bit. "If I lose," She continues. "You seal my soul within a Duel Monsters card instead of an RPG figurine."

He feels his eyebrows arch even higher. She was even aware of the matters of Shadow Games? But why a Duel Monsters card, that is the question.

"If I lose…?" 

"Well, the stakes at the same if I win. You just leave Bakura alone and help me out with something."

"Very well then. It's now set in stone."

From a glow of His Ring, instantaneously the whole room darkens and grows cold. Any sources of light seems to flicker out, shadows clinging to the walls in the whole apartment, slithering and creeping about on the floor. Brooke is shaking slightly at the shoulders, her teeth clenched. Heh. _This girl is all talk. _He thought, rolling his eyes. "Game start!"

Both draw and set down cards.

Both Magic.

Draw again.

"What should I refer to you as, anyway?" The girl asks, if not a bit warily.

He scowls, seeing that the other girl drew a Trap card, giving her an automatic win. He glances back to her, snappishly. "_What?_"

"Well, what should I refer to you as? You don't really have a name, do you?"

He shrugs, though realizing this fact. "I suppose I take my Master's other half of his name, Bakura."

"That's a bit confusing, isn't it? Referring to both of you as Bakura?"

"Not like it matters, does it, if you make it through this game?"

They draw again. He set down a monster, she a Magic card. A loss for her.

"I know what you're planning to do with Yugi and the rest of Bakura's friends." She says suddenly.

"Really? Is that so? What does your power over the future tell you?" He asks, in a rather mocking tone.

"You'll challenge all of them to a game to steal Yugi's puzzle. Just like what you did with all of Bakura's other friends. You challenge them to a RPG game, then you cheat, they lose, and get their souls sealed in a RPG figurine."

"Hmph. Tell me, girl, how do you know all of this information?"

"The world where I came from," She says with an air of knowing wiseness. "It has knowledge over the matters of...your world."

"Is that so? Well where are you powers of the future now?" He grins, knowing that at this point, the girl only had three wins while he has five. "I dare you to predict the next card you draw."

"But I don't even know what type of decks we're using!" She retorts, trying to fruitlessly argue.

"True, but your powers of the future may help you...hehe…"

"Fine then."

Drawing, Brooke closes her eyes. "Paths of Destiny."

They reveal their cards. He flinches, seeing that the card she states, was indeed true. Her lips curl into a triumphant smile this time, all doubt eluded from her composure. "Automatic win, am I not correct?"

"Bah!" He discards. "Only two more tries, and if I win either one of them, you lose little Brooke!"

However, Brooke is staring off at Paths of Destiny. "This reminds me very much of your future." She states, gazing at him. "You have choices laid out before you. You can carry out trying to seek the Items to use them for your own evil purposes - or you can give it up and make friends with Yugi, Bakura, and their friends, and try to collect your memories to move on peacefully to the afterlife."

He bursts out cackling. "You are quite the gullible young one, aren't you? You cannot stop me from carrying out the deeds - it is my purpose and mine alone!"

She stares at him dubiously. "You don't even remember your own _name._"

He falls quiet, his eyes narrowed at this work of a girl. "...Not like I give any two damns worth about that."

They draw. He doesn't look at his card, grinning at Brooke. "This may be your last draw, Brooke."

She does not answer, her lips in a tight, pursed line.

They place the cards on the table.

Marie The Fallen One is on her side - a monster.

He breaks out into laughter. Dark Spirit of the Silent - a Trap card.

"You lose."

However, instead of seeing fear on her face, she looks straight at him - with a smile even! "Alright then. That's just fine by me."

He stares at her, taken aback. Just who was _she?_ The girl just humiliated herself, gave up her soul, and proved herself worthless at knowing the future. "Take that smile off your face." He growls, wanting to wipe it off her damn, innocent face.

She tips her head to the side, almost taunting. "Bakura is stronger than you think. Yugi and his friends, are stronger than you think. You'll lose. You'll _always_ lose."

Feeling his expression in a picture of rage, Bakura glares down at the little girl, as he towers over her. But then, he feels his face go calm, when he remembers something from his Host's memories. "Ah...you have a dear, younger sister named Dena, am I correct?"

This time, her face contorts into confusion.

"...Yes. Why? How does that pertain to anything?"

He grins. _So she doesn't know!_ "Well...my little Host along with Yugi and his friends met your dear sister, not too long ago - today afterschool, was it?"

Brooke's eyes widen, jumping onto her feet. "Dena?! H-h-how…?!" He shakes his head, grinning, to finally see the girl so panicked and alarmed.

"Take my word for it," He bows in mock gesture. "Hmmm...say, how about I invite them for a visit? Surely, Dena and the others would want to visit my dear Host's house to play a fun game, as well as recover her dear long lost sister!"

The little girl's eyes widen even more in horror and realization.

He smiles nastily. "Yes, yes indeed. And _thank you._ Because of you knowledge of the future - why, I believe you helped my cause even more to taking the Items. I am going to change things up a bit from playing the usual RPG!"

"A-ah...no…" She whispers, shaking.

Bakura pats the top of her head, relishing her fear. "Don't fear, little Brooke. After I'm done with all of them, I will transfer all of their souls into RPG figurines - including yours, after I play a good ol' card game with them! Aren't I nice? But for now, as the conditions stated, you will be sealed in a card. So..._**PENALTY GAME!**_"

Instantly, Brooke's body goes rigid. Then, she falls to the floor. A bright light travels out of her body, pouring into the last card she placed on the table - Marie the Fallen One.

Bakura smirks triumphantly, as the now soulless and lifeless body of Brooke Kemp drops in front of him. He picks up Marie the Fallen One, putting it to his lips. "A foolish mistake you made indeed, in telling me all of this information." He whispers to it. He places it in the deck. "You will be truly useful for tomorrow's game." The shadows dissipate, as if smoke simply blowing away.

"Tch. I wonder how Landlord will fare with this now?" He laughs, as he disappears with the glow of the Ring.

**0-0-0-0-0**

"Haah!" Ryou breathes out, as if taking a breath of air for the first time. Immediately, when breathing in, he feels pain constrict in his chest area. His hand flies to his chest - and he moans in horror and pain, remembering all at once in a torrent of memories that the Ring pierced itself into his skin...the Ring! He flies straight up from the floor, wide-eyed. What happened? What happened after Voice took over? It all went dark for him…

His face twist in a grimace, his mind trying to deny the fact that he'll have to _somehow_ remove the horrid Ring from his skin and the pain that is awaiting for him when he has to undergo through that process _eventually_. Ryou stumbles up to his feet, his head spinning. The whole room is dark. Immediately, he recognizes the glowing digital clock sitting on top of the TV in the far corner. He's home. And it's nighttime. Relief goes through him, when he is reassured with the fact that he's in a familiar setting.

His heart still pounds though, as he walks over to the light switch, of what that disturbing Voice did while he...he...took over _his _body. Remembering the Voice's last words, his thoughts turned to Brooke.

_Oh god, I hoped nothing bad happened to her - _

Light floods the room. He blinks, his eyes momentarily blinded.

He spins on his heel, to head over to the bathroom to find some painkillers - and gasps to see the figure of Brooke, sprawled on the ground. All at once Ryou head starts spinning once again, his heart beat speeding up, his even ragged breathing, turning into frightened pants. Forcing one foot in front of the other, he walks closer to Brooke.

"...Brooke…?" He calls out softly, like a child calling out for their mother. His mouth is completely dry, his throat constricting and aching from the lack of water. Dull pain still throbs in his head and places where he was stabbed by the Ring. He falls to his knees, shakingly reaching for Brooke's head. _Oh god, let her be alive, please let her…_ He couldn't bear knowing that yet another friend, has fallen thanks to _him._ It may be because of Voice, but nonetheless, his own _body_ carried out these actions…

He gently turns her over.

Her eyes are closed, as if she were sleeping.

Ryou taps her on the shoulder. "Brooke?"

No answer.

"Brooke!" He says more loudly, demanding and desperate.

No answer.

She is sleeping, yes. But incapable of hearing.

Shaking, he glances to the table - and sees a trading card on it. He picks it up. Marie the Fallen One. It immediately clicks all together in his head. _Voice sealed her inside this card…!_ He begins shaking once more, putting a hand to his head. At lost, he glances back to the soulless body of Brooke. A comatosed Brooke.

She had no family to attend to, no indication that she exists in this world.

So he is stuck with a soulless body.

An agonizing reminder.

**0-0-0-0-0-0**

"Blaaaargghhh…" Dena sits up, feeling dry and crusty and tired and hungry at the same time. Yeah, did she mention she was hungry? She rolls over to the other side of her bed, groaning when the morning sun hits her face that is shining brightly through the windows. Regaining her consciousness, she stretches, sitting up, and recalling the events from yesterday after she came to the Kaiba Mansion. After kinda-sorta-accidently-kinda-intentionally eavesdropping on the Kaiba brothers, she flew straight to her own floor.

Odd enough, Mokuba did not come to visit her last night for dinner, so she had to order food from the butler. And she didn't find or catch sight of Kaiba anywhere - so Dena was at a complete lost. And a bit of discomfort. Things seem to be _quite_ off in the Kaiba household. Jumping to her feet, Dena gets dressed in the new clothes she bought from yesterday. _Ugh, I forgot to buy a toothbrush. _She scowls to herself, despising that morning breath taste lingering in her mouth. Gross, gross, _gross. _

_Note to self: when I find Mokuba, I'll ask if he has any spare toothbrushes. _She thought, as she rinses her mouth of plain cold water. After that, she promptly stuffs a stick of gum into her mouth, thankful it is mint flavored. Stuffing all of her belongings from her other pants into her new pants - including her handy-dandy well improved Duel Monsters Deck, Dena sets out into the hall.

And whaddya know - she bumps into her favorite guy. Not.

"Oof." She grunts, bumping smack into his chest. She jumps back almost instantly. "A g'morning to you Kaiba!"

He scowls down at her, clearly displeased he had to bump into her. "Actually, it's around late two in the afternoon, Kemp."

"Oh. Well then." She gives a lopsided, still sleepy type of smile. "Good afternoon, then!"

Without engaging in anymore conversation, Kaiba rudely brushes past her, seemingly in a rush to get to something, or somewhere..

Seeing him walk away, sparks something in Dena's still addled sleep mind. "Hey - wait up Kaiba!"

Of course, he makes no indication that he will _ever_ slow down.

Dena jogs to keep up with him. _Stupid long legs that gives you the ability to walk longer distances!_ She thought in childish anger, briefly looking at his long, striding legs. "What was up yesterday - you just barging into Yugi's shop and going all jerky up on them! The heck was up with that?"

"If you were listening to the conversation, it ended with the agreement that I'll duel Mutou's old man!" He snaps, clearly impatient.

"Yeah? Well that's clearly opposite from what I heard between you and Mokuba yesterday, saying how he'll duel Yugi and that talk about Death T - oof!" Once again, Dena ends up crashing into Kaiba's back, when he stops completely in his tracks. He spins around, his icy blue eyes looking down on her, his eyes shadowed from his bangs.

"_What _did you say?"

Dena's casual smile disappears off her face, when she realizes what she said out loud. _Io e la mia boccaccia!_ She cursed to herself in Italian, her native tongue, hands flying to mouth. "Uhmm...nothing, eh, good day to you, Kaiba!" She turns her back, only to see two huge, looming characters right behind Dena. "W-what…?!" She turns back to Kaiba, wide-eyed. "Uhm, nice friends ya got there! Care to tell them to let me through?"

Looking darkly down at her, Kaiba steps closer to her, towering and looming. "You won't be going anywhere with the knowledge you have, Kemp."

"...And why's that?!" Dena snaps, crossing her arms, though shivering a bit when she remembers that Kaiba's thugs are right behind her.

He sneers. "With what you know...I won't let you walk free. Kemo, Uda." He snaps his fingers.

The two men behind her grab ahold of her arms.

"Eh?! The heck is this Kaiba?!"

"Hmph. Lead her in the car, with me. Her bullheadness and incompetence may have some use…"

"I'm right _HERE_ ya know!"

**0-0-0-0-0**

"You bozos better be careful with that technology!" Mokuba screams at Kaiba's workers as they adjust the Virtual Battle Simulation Box. He taps his foot impatiently, as they scurry around in panic to fix the new technology. In just a few minutes, around 3:00, people will be flooding in the stadium by the handfuls and handfuls. Afterall, today was a special day…

The memory of his big brother's cold eyes looking down and yelling at him from yesterday, is burnt in Mokuba's mind.

A bitter hiss comes from his mouth, slamming a fist into an open palm. _I'll prove it to you, Nii-sama! I'll prove my worth! And just then, maybe you'll finally pay attention to me, and see me as your brother! _Mokuba's heart pangs thinking of his brother from before, younger - his older brother would've never yelled at him like the old Seto did… _What happened?! What happened to you, big brother?!_ A part of Mokuba cries out. He clenches his heart, staring at the ground, shaking a bit.

With a hardened resolve, he straightens his posture, in a military like pose. He eyes crowds and crowds of people filing into the stadium, taking their rows of seats. He grins to himself. It's showtime. "Forget the past, Mokuba!" He mutters to himself. "Big brother is still big brother - and you will prove your worth to him today!"

"Mokuba."

He whips around - and happiness strikes his mind when he sees his tall brother standing there - however, confusion befalls him when he sees Seto's personal security guards, holding Dena hostage with their huge hands. "Seto!" He breaks out in a chummy grin, his heart couldn't help deflating that, as always, his older brother does not return one. "Uhm…" He glances over to Dena, who looks pretty scared at the thugs that are holding her by force.

"Mokuba. Duel her." His older brother states briskly and airily, with his usual indifference.

"W-wha?! I thought I was dueling Yugi…!"

"Well, he has not arrived in Death-T yet, and we were yet to test your skills as a duelist and the new state of the art virtual technology. We will test both of these things in a duel between you and Kemp."

"What?!" Dena shouts, overhearing this.

Mokuba looks doubtfully at Dena. It all registers instantly in his mind, horror striking him afterwards. "But…! My deck is too powerful...she'll lose, Seto!" He argues, wide-eyed.

"Exactly! Which means that we'll both get to see, as well as our beloved audience," His brother sweeps an arm over the now brimming stadium of people. "Of how the Virtual Box works!"

"B-but...she'll get the experience of death…" Mokuba says in a quiet voice. "She'll get the _Penalty Game._"

Seto's icy blue eyes flare, his jaw going stiff. "Are you refusing your older brother's orders?!"

"N-no, it's just…!"

"Hey, lay off Kaiba!" Dena interrupts. "What the heck man? You're bullying your brother when he clearly doesn't want to do something! You're his older brother, you should be listening to him!"

"Mind your business, Kemp."

"Well, whatever!" She snaps, clearly angry at Kaiba's actions. Mokuba stares blankly at her. She looks back to him, with her warm, friendly brown eyes looking through her red-rimmed glasses. _Almost like the warmth my older brother used to have…_ Mokuba thought, choked up in his throat. "I don't see what the big deal is, Mokuba-kid. I'll duel you."

"Heh." A smug chuckle comes out of Kaiba. Mokuba shudders. He couldn't believe it. His nii-sama...fully aware of what will befall Dena. _I thought she was our friend!_ He shouts in his mind. However, a another part of Mokuba sadly tells him that his older brother is no longer capable of making healthy relationships nor viewing anyone as a friend or ally. _Not even you, the little brother of Seto Kaiba, his only family. _"Did you hear her, Mokuba?"

Kaiba's dark, icy eyes stare through Mokuba. "She wants to duel you. Now wouldn't it be impolite of you to turn down such a _gracious_ and compliant guest?" A smirk was on his face the whole time he says this.

Dena looks strangely at Kaiba, than Mokuba.

Mokuba is silent for a moment. _Dena Kemp is no more than just another person in my great brother's plans. Forget her. Forget that warm smile she has that's too similar to the Seto from before...All's in the past. _"...Yes nii-sama!" He yells, straightening. Though Mokuba can no longer bear to look at Dena, and heads straight to the Virtual Box.

"Hehe. That's more like it Mokuba. You might just make me have the trouble to actually be proud of you."

Mokuba feels happy for a second when his brother says this.

But he knows its quite fake.

**0-0-0-0-0-0**

The thugs finally released Dena. Glad, she jumps out of their range. She turns to Kaiba, angry. "What's up with you, Kaiba? You're treating your brother like...like…dirt!"

"The matters of Mokuba and I are family matters only. Now...let's see your skills as a duelist inside the arena." He crooks a finger at the other side of the box, where Mokuba is sitting in his place. Dena couldn't help but feel alarmed and creeping sense of danger at the anxious expression on Mokuba's face when Kaiba demanded that he duel her.

"Something's up here, rich boy." She says, eyeing him suspiciously. However, she finally complies, going inside the virtual box. Immediately, the door shut behind her. Through the glass, she can hear the muffled cheering and screams of the crowds that have filled up the stadium.

"_And nooowww, we have a special bonus duel between the Mokuba Kaiba and Dana Kemp!"_

Dena slams her hand on the table. "That's Dena for ya!" She hollers, a bit irritated. Suddenly, she feels something take hold of her ankles. "What the…?!" She looks down to see metal claws grab hold of her legs, tight in place. "The hell is this, Mokuba?!" She glances over to see that he too, has metal claws holding his legs in place.

"There are stakes to this game Dena, high stakes in which our lives depend on it!"

"Our lives?! Just what type of game is this?!"

"Let's just say that this is a game betting our lives! And only one of us can get outta this box! So I'm not going easy on you!"

Alarm raises in Dena's mind, as she glances out to the audience. She's horrified to see that the audience cheer on, not having a clue as to what's happening inside the box.

"Dena, in here, while playing a game, there is no room for any friends or comradry - which is why I'm the one that will get out of this box! Now, enough talk, let's duel. I hope you learn the rules, Dena." Mokuba states, expression dark, as he draws five cards.

Dena looks at him, a bit worried. "...Mokuba-kid? Why are you doing this?"

Mokuba flinches, looking away. He then snaps, "Draw your card and get on with the game!"

"...!" Dena stares at him. Alright, something was _definitely_ up. Finally complying, she draws five cards.

"Let's duel!" They both declare.

**Mokuba: **_2000_

**Dena:**_ 2000_

"I go first!" Mokuba draws a card. Smirking, he sets down a monster. "I set a card facedown. End turn."

"Alright!" Dena draws. "I summon Mother Grizzly, in attack mode!" To Dena's amazement and suspension of disbelief, a live like monsteruous bear, appears on the the game table. It gives out a mighty roar, pounding its chest. "What? What type of technology is this?!"

"State of the art, made especially by my older brother!" Mokuba proclaims proudly.

Dena scoffs. "Wow, so this box-thingy we're in just enchances the experience of a children's card game. What a GREAT use of money. Really, your brother wastes your money on the most frivolous things!"

"Get on with your move!" Mokuba snaps.

"Okay! Attack face down!"

"Haha! Not so fast!" He flips the card, revealing a pink blobby looking creature - Marshmellon. Dena's eyes widen, instantly recognizing the card.

"Wait...that means…!"

"That's right! Since you attacked it, it's effect causes you to lose 1000 life points!"

**Mokuba: **_2000_

**Dena: **_1000_

"That's not good…" Dena mutters, alarmed at how low her life points are already. _Only our first turn and I seem to be way off from the ball game! _Sighing, Dena mutters, "End turn."

Mokuba draws. "I summon, Volcanic Slicer! Attack her Mother Grizzly!"

**Mokuba: **_2000_

**Dena:**_ 600_

"Effect! Mother Grizzly lets me get a monster with 1500 Attack or less from my deck to hand!"

"You learned quite quickly, Dena."

"Yeah. Thanks for the advice you gave me. Ah...a burn deck, I see you're using."

"That's right!" Mokuba's eyes lower for a second. "In no time, you'll lose…"

Dena looks carefully at him.

"End turn."

Dena draws. _Whew! Just the card I needed! I need to get rid of that Volcanic Slicer! That thing's gonna cause me trouble!_

"I set two cards face down and end my turn!"

Mokuba draws a card. "I summon Flame Spirit Ignis! Since I won't let Volcanic Splincer attack this turn, you lose 500 life points!"

_Oh no…!_

The crows watching cheer, as Dena's life points lower.

**Mokuba: **_2000_

**Dena:** _100_

"Then, I attack your facedown!"

"Activate flip effect of Penguin Soldier! Return those two cards to your hand!"

Growling at this inconvenience, Mokuba takes back the monsters to his hand. Dena discards Penguin Soildier to the grave. End turn." Mokuba looks sadly at her. "You're going to lose, Dena."

Dena clutches her cards. _Something real bad is going to happen, if I carry on like this, if I lose the game. _She glances down to her feet that's held hostage. _I have two cards that'll help me gain life points in my deck. Just...it's just…_ She looks over to her deck. _The chances of me drawing it is approximately 11%! Two cards out of around forty cards - that is a low chance! _Dens shakes, staring at her deck.

"Dena! Is that you?!"

Dena's head snaps up, and she glances behind - and lo behold, is Yugi and co. All look rugged and tired, as if the the whole group came from hell and back - Honda is strangely missing from the group. "Guys? What are you doing here?"

"Yugi?!" She hears Mokuba exclaim in shock.

"A long story!" Jonouchi yells. He winces when he sees how low Dena's life points were through the score board. "Ouch."

"Guys...I think I'm gonna lose." Dena calls out, feeling a bit helpless.

"Believe in the heart of the cards, Dena!" Yugi shouts, with a ferocity she's never seen from the short boy.

"Eh?!"

"Believe in your deck! Trust in it! It will lead you to victory!"

"I hate to break this to you, but that sounds like a load of bull…" Dena mumbles.

"Don't doubt yourself, Dena!" Anzu pipes in, her confident eyes looking straight at Dena. In her arms is a chubby looking little baby. "Believe in yourself, like Yugi said! Believe in your deck! We all believe in you!" Dena's chest surges with newfound hope, hearing this from Anzu, and seeing all of her other friends standing there, cheering her on.

"That's right!" Miho cheers, pumping a fist.

"O-okay guys…" Dena turns back to face Mokuba, who is staring impatiently at her.

"Well?"

Dena looks back to her deck. Shutting her eyes, she raises her hand. "Here goes nothing!" And draws. Shaking, Dena looks at the card. "Ah…! Yes!" Triumphantly, she plays the card. "I play, Mercy of Life!"

"What?"

"Now we both gain 1000 life points!"

**Mokuba: **_3000_

**Dena: **_1100_

"You're just prolonging the inevitable!" Mokuba growls.

"I summon, Abyss Soldier! Your Life Points are wide open! Attack directly!"

"Gah…!"

**Mokuba:** _1200_

**Dena:** _1100_

"To keep it rolling, I activate Spell Card, Level Limit Area B! Now all Level 4 or higher monsters you activate must be activated in defense mode! Furthermore, I activate my set Trap card, Gravity Bind! Now all Level 4 monsters cannot attack! To finish it off, I set another face down and end turn!"

"All right Dena!" She hears her friends cheer on from behind the glass box. She smiles to herself, feeling pretty damn triumphant.

"Grrr...you keep on delaying what's coming to you, Dena." mumbles Mokuba. He draws. A wide grin spreads on his face. "This care will be your demise! I Special Summon, Lava Golem! Now you have to tribute two of your monsters in order for him to be under your control! However, at a price! You'll lose 1000 life points each of your turn!" Mokuba cackles.

Dena's eyes widen to see a huge, molten, giant blob like thing appear on the field. She narrows her eyes. "Not so fast! You activated Torrential Tribute!"

"What?! Ah, no!"

"That's right! Ergo, it wipes out all monsters on field."

Mokuba gives her a death glare, as they discard all of their monsters on the field to the grave. "Thanks to you, I now have no monsters...and Lava Golem's effect causes me to not summon any monsters in this turn...what an annoying setback. I set one card face down and end turn."

"Okay!" Dena draws. _Yes! Just the card I needed!_ "I activate the card, A Legendary Ocean! Now all Water Monsters levels are lowered by 1, and they gain 200 Attack and Defense!"

"No…! That means!" Mokuba's face is dawned upon in realization.

"Yeah! I activate Reese the Ice Mistress! Attack directly!"

"Haha! Not so fast! I activate the trap card, Magic Cylinder!"

"Then I lose life points…" Dena's face pales.

**Mokuba:** _1200_

**Dena:** _100_

"That's right! Glad to see you catch on so quickly!"

"Ah...I set a card facedown and end turn…" Dena stares at her Ice Mistress, silently thanking God for the trap down she set down. _If he tries to attack me, I should be safe for another turn...but I can only stall for so long! Damnit!_ _I shouldn't have been so hasty…!_

"Hmmm...I summon, Ultimate Baseball Kid! For each Fire Monster in my grave! Which means he now has 1500 attack! Attack Ice Mistress!"

"Activate Mirror Force!"

"Gah!" Mokuba grinds his teeth. "Plenty of tricks up your sleeve, don't you? Well, I play Monster Reborn, bringing back Baseball Kid!"

Dena curses silently, seeing the small mechanical boy, appearing back on the field.

"Next turn, you'll lose! There are no cards you have in hand that are powerful enough to defeat my Baseball Kid, is there? Even if you DO defeat him, well, you're leaving your monster in Attack position! Furthermore, if you have some annoying card that can remove my monster on the field from play, I have a trap card that can backfire it all..." Mokuba smiles widely, victorious. "I set a trap card and end my turn! No matter what you do, Dena, I will win this duel!"

Dena stares at her hand of cards, wide-eyed. Then she glances over to her deck. She can hear the faint cheers and yelling of Yugi and the rest behind the glass box. _They have faith in me. Can I have faith in this next draw? Is that fully possible? Heart of the cards? Should I believe in such improbable bull that has no factual evidence? Should I really? _Closing her eyes, she draws. Shakingly, she opens her eyes.

"Yes…!"

"What?" Mokuba hisses, clearly confused by Dena's relieved smile. "Why are you pulling such a happy face?"

"I'm sorry to say Mokuba...but you're the one who will lose! I summon Codarus! All I have to do is send A Legendary Ocean to the grave, and choose two cards to send to the grave!"

"You gotta be kidding me! Shit!" Mokuba curses, discarding his cards on the field. "T-That means you can attack me...directly…!"

"You got that right! Coduras, attack his life points!"

"Noooooo!"

**Mokuba:** _0_

**Dena:** _100_

"And that's game." The metal claws on Dena's ankles release. She sighs in relief, and looks over to Mokuba, who is shaking like crazy, wide eyed with terror. The claws on his legs still haven't released him. Dena rushes over to him, kneeling at his legs. "Aw man, how do I get you outta here?"

"B-big brother...I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Mokuba wails, looking on the verge of tears.

"Eh?! Mokuba kid, calm down!"

"_Pah, looks like you lost the duel, Mokuba. To an amateur, no less."_

Dena whips around, wide-eyed to see a TV screen with Kaiba's face on it staring coldly down at the both of them.

"Kaiba?! Tell me, what's happening here?! Your brother's stuck here!" Dena excalims, shaking a fist at the screen.

He smiles, so fakely, that Dena practically wanted to barf. "Congratulations, Dena! I am pleasantly surprised - one who was quite ignorant of the game, now seems to have such a good grasp on it! You are free to go." He nods over to the open door behind Dena. She glances over to it, briefly. Frowning, she looks back to Kaiba.

"The hell happens if I leave this box, Mokuba all alone?!"

Mokuba starts shaking more, whimpering.

"Heh. Well, he gets the Penalty Game. Rules are rules." Kaiba says coolly. He gives a blank, empty, _soulless_ type of cold look to Mokuba. "Don't look at me like that. Those sick, pitiful clingy like dog eyes...always on my back for years, a lasting and annoying presence. A hindrance. I told you not play with fire, Mokuba, yet now you will get _burned._"

Dena freezes up when hearing this out of what is supposed to be an older loving brother.

"Seto, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

"Penalty Game…?!" Dena mutters, gripping Mokuba's hands.

"The experience of death…" Mokuba shudders, looking as if he seen death itself.

"Experience of death?!" Dena's ears perking up when she hears this. She turns sharply to the direction of Kaiba in the TV screen. "Kaiba, what the hell man?! What the actual hell?! This is your brother, your little brother, and you're leaving him in here to experience death?! And this...this is all for you to take some petty revenge on Yugi?!" Dena shouts at the screen, piecing all of the clues together on the spot.

"Argue all you want," Kaiba rolls his eyes. "But rules are rules. I suggest you get out of here, Kemp, before the doors close in on you."

"P-please, Dena!" Mokuba, a mere little boy, a frightened one, begs her. "Don't leave me in here, all alone! Please don't!"

"I won't kid, I won't!"

"Hmph. A foolish choice, but that is expected from someone like you, Kemp. Very well." Kaiba shakes his head, as if he couldn't comprehend the idea as to why Dena wouldn't leave Mokuba behind to a looming fate.

"Screw you, Kaiba!" Dena snaps angrily at Kaiba, showing her best defiance. "You're gonna fucking lose that game with Yugi - know why? Because from our little chess game - the one you lost against _me, _remember?" Kaiba's eyes flash dangerously and angrily when Dena mentions their game. "From the way you played, I learn that you're the type of opponent that underestimates their opponents! Your damn pride and superiority leads you to look down on others! And that's your flaw, Seto Kaiba! You'll always _fucking lose_ because you underestimate others, when they have so much more than you!"

Kaiba stares down at her for a moment. "I'm going to quite enjoy your screams of terrors from the Penalty Game."

_Pssshtttt!_

Gas swirls around inside the box. Dena coughs, the gas numbing her senses and dulling her sense of reality. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a huge dragon with a grotesque mangled jaw and deformed wings lunges towards her and Mokuba. _Not real not real not real!_ The gas, however, seem to have an effect on Dena, as she feels adrenaline coursing through her veins, the pounding of her heart speeding up, her breathing now constricting…!

_Oh no. No no no no. _Dena thought, panting like crazy. _Getting hard to breathe...I can't be getting an attack...not now…!_

Both Mokuba and her scream.

"Quick! Take my hand!" A voice yells.

Shakingly, through the smoke, Dena turns to see a hand reaching for her. Her other hand still wrapped around Mokuba's little sweaty hand, she grabs it, and is pulled out of the death trap. Both Mokuba and her fall on the ground, shaking and breathing hard. Dena is wheezing, panting at this point. The shock from those scarily realistic monsters...was too much… _Asthma...getting best of me…_ Every breath Dena took was like inhaling fire. It constricts her chest more, each breath making it more hard to breath after the next.

"Yugi…?"

Looking down at her are confident, deep purple eyes. However, they seem...different? Like they hold the sense of unattainable confidence and pride that Dena has never seen from the quiet and shirt Yugi. "Who are you?" Dena mumbles.

He smiles down at her. Then it turns into concern. "Mokuba, get her some medical help…!"

The difficulty of breathing becomes too much, and the whole world eats away to black. She sees the running feet of Joey, Anzu, and Miho running towards her, as she lies on the ground. "Knew...I shoulda get my asthma pump…" Dena mumbles, through gasps of air remembering that she regrettably left the thing at her home, her world.

_Brooke probably would've had it with her...because she was always...p...prepared…_ And with that, all delves into water for Dena.

**A/N: YEP. Lots of shit went down in this chapter. And HOLY COW this was a long hell of a chapter! It was pretty hard to write this chapter, considering I had to research what decks Mokuba and Dena will use, writing out the duel, and actually knowing the rules of Duel Monsters. Surprisingly, the rules aren't so complicated. XD Reviews are welcomed! **


	8. A Glimpse From the Near Future?

**A/N: I'm real sorry for the much very late update. My third marking period in school was coming to an end, so I had to catch up with all my late homework and stuff. Boy was it miserable. DX**

Shadowclanwarrior:

**Did you really? I was afraid that I shoved too much plot twists and information in the last chapter, but I'm glad it was intense enough. X) Oh yeah, the reason why 'Host' was capitalized, was because since some parts were written in Yami B's perspective. I figured he wouldn't refer to Ryou by his real name. That's just me.**

Guest:

**Well, here ya go, chapter eight! ;D**

AlexistheEliatrope:

**So sorry for the cliffhanger. XD I assure you, everything will work out fine in the end.**

Mnemosyne's Elegy:

**Thanks for reviewing like I asked and for the criteria and honest thoughts you left for me! I'm glad you made an exception for A Manga to Reality! X3 I hope you'll be able to read more in the future!**

XxHeartMenderxX:

**Oh goodie, you're still here! Thanks for noticing the effort I put into writing the duels and games, I notice that they're not as well written in other fics - it's either the writers don't know the rules of the game or they're just lazy. XD The sisters have quite a lot of work indeed!**

* * *

**~Chapter Eight~**

_For some reason, Dena was pretty damn angry. Though in that moment, she couldn't quite place her finger as to _why_ she was so damn angry. _

_Her teeth clench in place, as she watches the disappearing figure of Brooke (well, she didn't really know if it was Brooke in first place, she just _knows_ for some reason), as she rides off in her bicycle. Kicking over a plant pot, Dena yells out enraged. "Fine! Screw you! Look at all the craps I give! That's right ABSOLUTELY NONE!" However, at this point, she is perfectly aware that Brooke is way out of earshot to actually hear her enraged ramblings._

_Hissing out angrily, Dena stomps her feet on the ground, banging her knuckles against the cold metal railings. Thoughts fly through her head without any registration, thoughts that Dena is not able to comprehend. Despite not being able to grasp any intelligent thought or statement out of them, Dena mumbles without realizing herself, "She's always whining and moping about stuff. She's never happy for me!"_

_In that moment, it sort of clicked together in Dena's addled and muggy mind. This was after she had her fight with Brooke. _

_Leaning over the railing, and peering down at the ground, Dena broods, still grumbling curses to herself, out of pure spite for her older sister._

"_It'd be better she never came back!"_

"_Too bad for you kiddo, you're gonna regret those words."_

"_Huh?!" _

_Before Dena could turn around to see who the speaker of the voice was, she is shoved over the railing. And the next moment, Dena is plummeting straight down to the ground. Each millisecond that passed, each millimeter Dena fell, the ground grows closer to her. All the way Dena is screaming. _

_She shuts her eyes before she hits the_

"AAH!"

"Dena!"

Her eyes snap open, now pulled back into reality. Concerned eyes look upon her. Feeling rushing back all to her body down to her fingertips and toes, Dena recognizes a mask is strapped onto her face. A hand is tightly gripping her left on, squeezing it in reassurance. "Eh...is it that time of year again?" She mumbles through the mask, feeling very light headed.

She hears sighs of relief above her, with a few chuckles. A face hovers above Dena, and she instantly recognizes the face of Anzu, bright lights shining behind her head. Her blue eyes seem brighter than ever, filled with concern. "Are you ok?"

Feeling heat in her face, Dena struggles to sit up. "Yah...blergh...I feel as if a bunch of bricks just bitch smacked me…" She mutters, rubbing her forehead. Once regaining a sitting position, Dena recognizes other familiar faces. Anzu, Jonouchi, Miho, Honda, and Mokuba all surround her, all with worried and concerned faces. "What did I miss?"

"Ya sure did miss a lot Dena! Yugi and Kaiba are in a duel! Aw yeah, and Mokuba here saved Honda's life, if I had to hand it to him!" Jonouchi reports.

"Really…? I hope that Yugi is beating the boy's ass into the ground!" Dena's head flares up with her sudden anger at the mention of Kaiba. However, remembering that Mokuba is nearby, Dena turns to him. "Uhm, no offense to you Mokuba, even if it is kinda sorta the truth."

Mokuba is staring at his feet, his face the mixture of ashamed and grief. "...I'm real sorry what Kaiba did to you Dena."

Dena blinks. Taking off her oxygen mask, Dena crawls over to Mokuba, feeling a bit woozy and weak. She clumsily puts an arm around Mokuba's neck. "...I'm sorry too Mokuba. Even if Kaiba is a pretty much a jerk, I'm sorry that you had to see him like that, especially towards you." Mokuba only hangs his head in response, looking dejected and distant. Sighing, Dena looks up. She sees the figures of Yugi and Kaiba inside the Virtual Box, dueling. Eyes widening, Dena sees the Blue Eyes White Dragon, not one, but _two _of them, a threatening presence on the field. Not to mention the fact that Kaiba has 1000 Life Points versus Yugi who only has 200.

"Holy…! Is Yugi going to lose?!" Dena exclaims, banging her fist on the ground.

"It's crazy isn't it? Kaiba not only has one, but two Blue Eyes! But he destroyed Grandpa's Blue Eyes, that bastard, just because he didn't want it used against him!" Honda snarls, pounding a fist against his hand.

"Is there a-anyway do you guys think Yugi can win?" Miho questions nervously, twirling her hair, wide-eyed.

"I dunno...but we just have to have faith in Yugi!" Jonouchi yells with a fierce determination.

Everyone's attention on Jonouchi is quickly interrupted, when the maniacal laughter of Kaiba hangs in the air. All heads turn back to duel of Yugi and Kaiba. "Ahahahaha! All absolute chances of winning, are now impossible, Yugi! I summon the third and final, Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

"What?!" Dena and the others holler in shock.

"You gotta be kidding me…!" She talks to herself in disbelief. Squinting closer at the battlefield, Dena frowns. "Wait just a moment...did Kaiba just summon a bunch of monsters in one turn?"

"Uhm, yeah I think so, why?" Jonouchi asks.

Dena frowns deeper, crossing her arms. "That's against the rules isn't it? Rule number 53 in the handbook, third addition of Duel Monsters, there are most situations in which a multiple amount of monsters cannot be summoned in one turn!" She recites in perfect detail.

Everyone stares dubiously at Dena, then to each other.

"But I guess that doesn't matter, doesn't it? This match is a dead game for Yugi." Dena shakes her head, straightening her glasses. Anzu shakes her head, her mouth open with shock.

"Don't say that Dena…! There must be hope…!"

Sighing deeply, Dena stares off at the three Blue Eyes White Dragons on the field. "Look at Yugi's face! Even _he_ knows that there is no chance of winning! There is only a 5% chance in which Yugi can win. That is what I can calculate from the possibility of this duel. And there is a 19% chance that Yugi has any card in his deck that can possibly turn this duel around. Like I said, it's a dead duel."

All are now silent, speechless at Dena's calculations.

Anzu breaks the silence. "No! Do not ever say that Dena! Despite the numbers, Yugi will not give up!" Turning sharply to the direction of the duel, Anzu extends her arm with a fierceness. "Yugi, don't give up!"

"That's right!" Jonouchi chimes in, slamming his hand on top of Anzu's, quickly followed by Honda and Miho. Mokuba and Dena watch on, a bit incredulous at the display of stubbornness of faith.

"Delusional, all of them." Mokuba mumbles to Dena, shaking his head.

Dena's mouth is purses, looking at Yugi's friends. She was not quite sure what to think, except for the fact that all three of them were being quite irrational at this point. _Numbers and facts are the definite reassurance in any situation. And from what I calculated, this duel is therefore almost impossible to win! Why can't they all just accept this fact? I am always right, afterall. _Dena sucks her teeth, rubbing her hands. "I honestly can't believe you guys…"

"Well, maybe it wouldn't hurt for you to believe it stuff for a change, Adena." Anzu replies, turning to her with a confident and sturdy look. The confidence takes Dena aback, seeing it in her friend's face. And for a moment, Dena almost really did believe with Anzu and the rest. However, she says nothing, seeing that Yugi finally brought himself to draw a card. Much to Dena's surprise, Yugi's face is no longer contorted in fear and nervousness, but a full on confidence and calm that she has never seen on the short boy for the short time she has known him.

_What makes him so confident?_ Dena ponders, in absolute vexation.

Kaiba as well, seems to be honestly confused and angered by Yugi's suddenly calm face.

"You're wrong Kaiba!" Yugi's unusually and uncharacteristically strong and bold voice rings out grandly through the speakers, over the loud cheering and screams of the surrounding crowds that fill the mammoth stadium. "I have found my hope?"

"W-what?!" Kaiba spits out through clenched teeth, his expression stiff and engraged. "Stop talking bullcrap! What the hell are you talking about?!"

"Heh...I might as well show you! For I have drawn, Exodia, the Forbidden One!"

Gasps ring out through the crowd. Dena jumps, standing up on her feet. "What monster is this?!"

As Yugi lies all of his hand on the field, Kaiba's expression grows from disbelief, to pure fear, something so foreign to Dena from the time she got to know the teenage billionaire. "How..._HOW CAN THIS BE?!_" Kaiba screams at the top of his lungs, absolutely furious, tearing at his hear. His cards fly out of his hand, carelessly dropped by Kaiba, as he stares at the full and complete form of Exodia. Dena feels her own jaw dropped open in a stupor of amazement. Her eyes practically bulge out of her head, seeing the attack of Exodia.

_Attack...infinite?!_

"Aw, hell yeah!" Jonouchi cheers loudly with the others.

"That's right Kaiba...now...Exodia, obliterate!" Yugi orders. In a blinding flash of light, all monsters on Kaiba's side of the field disappears in a flash.

"_NoooooOOOOOOoooo!_" Kaiba's screams and shrieking pierce through the air, almost haunting. The crowds cheerings are now a sea of murmurs and whisperings, shocked at this unpredictable outcome of this duel. He is banging his fists on the table, in a full on fit of a tantrum, his expression now an ugly mash up of pure anger and contempt. Dena never before witnessed such a look on the usually calm and composed Seto Kaiba's face.

"I win Kaiba!" Yugi's voice declares, calm and bold through the speakers. He gets to his feet, while Kaiba is still in his seat, shaking madly.

"Big brother…!" Dena hears Mokuba say. She turns to him, surprised to hear him _still_ somehow concerned for his big brother, despite all that he did to him. Giving a strange look, Dena puts a hand on Mokuba's shoulder. Mokuba looks up to her, wide eyed. His lips move to say something, but nothing comes out, as they move around wordlessly. Not saying anything, Dena squeezes his shoulder.

"Kaiba...your heart is so full of darkness and your whole being is twisted, that I must give you the proper punishment."

Dena stares at Yugi who is inside the Virtual Box. _What does he mean by punishment…?_ "Now...Penalty Game..._**MIND CRUSH!**_"

The girl jumps at the sudden booming voice coming out of Yugi.

Kaiba's screams, then in a sheer flash of light, he falls slump.

All in that moment, the crowds are completely silent, in a daze in shock. Suddenly, with a loud uproar of applause, they all start cheering Yugi's names. All of Yugi's friends cheer on, yelling at the top of their lungs. Dena only stands there with Mokuba, not knowing what to feel. She only looks on at the still figure of Kaiba, his mouth hanging open in a blank manner. _What...what did Yugi do to him?! What was that!_

"This is nice and all but...but...what the hell did Yugi do to Kaiba?!" Dena interrupts their cheering abruptly.

Uncertain, Anzu approaches Dena. "It's real hard to explain but...Yugi has an...other side to him. An other self, if you may call it that."

"What?! You gotta be kidding me! Should I honestly believe that?!" Dena couldn't help but snap, in a frenzy of panic.

"I understand your fear, Dena," A familiar confident voice says to all of them. Dena's head snaps up to see the spiky haired boy standing in front all of them. He is looking straight at her, his deep purple eyes strangely accented with red. Looking at them, Dena suddenly thinks to herself, _Those are definitely not Yugi's eyes. _"But in time, I hope you will come to understand and not be uncertain of me."

Too dumbfolded to say anything, Dena gulps loudly, and mutely nods her head, not quite understanding.

"What...what did you do my big brother?" Mokuba speaks up, his voice uncertain and shaky.

Yugi(?) if Dena could ever call this stranger that is possessing the spiky haired boy, smiles serenely at Mokuba. "I only gave him a Mind Game in which your brother can find the pieces of his heart and build them back together. He was such a twisted person that he needed his very soul and being to be broken, in order to be put back together into a better person." He explains with an air of wisdom and knowingness that for a second, Dena almost trusted in his very words. Almost.

"Piece by piece Kaiba will put them back...but he will have to rely on himself. And how long he will take to come back, really depends to your brother! But I have all the confidence that Kaiba shall find himself and return." Yugi states, knowingly nodding his head.

Hope flickers in Mokuba's eyes, as he looks over to his now catatonic rendered brother.

A tear escapes the little boy's eye. "...Then I'll wait for Seto. No matter what." He whispers, with the hope that every child has. Dena looks at Mokuba in concern and a bit of proudness.

_It's so weird what to think of this...I don't even know what the hell Yugi, or whatever he is, means. But...I guess…_ She looks over to Anzu, Jonouchi, Miho, and Honda, who are all surrounding Yugi, hugging and patting him on the back. Her mouth curls into a smile. _I just have to believe sometimes._

* * *

"See ya, all of ya!" Jonouchi waves to all of his friends, as they all go their separate ways. Grinning off after the disappearing figures of his hands, his huge smile is overtaken by a yawn. "Wow! What a crazy day! I have to hit the hay soon to get some sleep!" Jonouchi says to himself, scratching his nose. _But first...I gotta see something before I head off home. _He thought, walking off the opposite direction of where his apartment building is, with a new purpose.

Hands shoved in his pockets, Jonouchi walks idly, his thoughts wandering around. _Man, that Death-T stuff was the worse...good thing I had my friends to depend of. We got outta there together, thanks to teamwork! Grrrrr, damn that Kaiba for almost killing us! Whatever Yugi did to him, he better get reformed from his punishment! Too bad police won't believe us given that he's pretty much one of the richest assholes in Japan...GAH, wait, I still have homework to do! Damn it all! Speaking of school…_

Jnouchi's thoughts turn to other matters. _Where the heck was Bakura today? He was gone...aw man…_ Alarm creeps in Jonouchi. _Should I tell the others…? I mean, the situation itself is pretty crazy…_ He thought, unsure. Shaking his head, he walks faster. _Well I gotta do my thing first and wait a couple of more days to confirm. I can't be jumping to any conclusions!_

Walking for another few minutes, Jonouchi finally arrives at his destination. He looks off at the empty lot of space, that is only a couple of blocks from Domino Highschool. Whistling, he strolls into the lot. Strewn here and there, are carelessly thrown away garbage, cigars, and a couple empty bottles of booze. _Urgh...I can't believe this is actually the place. It needs some real cleaning up. _

He stops in the center, staring down at it. Jonouchi closes his eyes, the cool winds blowing through him. He imagines, almost sees a huge, towering cherry blossom tree, growing in the empty lot. _This'll sure be a beautiful place. _He thought, smiling a bit happily and nostalgically. _I'd like to believe that it is kinda true...that maybe she's real. But then…_ Jonouchi's thoughts turn dark, thinking to those other subjects.

"Such things can't possibly happen!" He says aloud, stomping a foot.

"Ah...Jonouchi?"

Snapped out of his thoughts, the blonde spins abruptly around on his heel. He quickly relaxes, seeing that it is only Miho that is standing there. "Oh...Miho! I thought you were heading home!"

Miho's eyes trail off, looking a bit unsettled. "Yes...but I wanted to come here first."

"Uhm...alright."

"You have one too, don't you?"

"Ah…!" Jonouchi stares wide eyed at Miho, taken aback. His shoulders fall slack. "Yep. Pretty much. This isn't a coincidence anymore, is it? It's true…"

"I don't want to believe it." Miho shakes her head, her usually cheerful voice weirdly serious. This kind of surprised Jonouchi, after the past month he came to know Miho. The wind blows again. "It's just that…" She turns around, her lavender and ribbon flying with the wind. "...I don't want to lose him. I don't want to sacrifice what could be…!"

"I understand." Jonouchi nods, with a small and sad smile. He puts a hand on Miho's shoulder. "I'm gonna have to sacrifice a lotta things too. Things that, I'm kinda curious to experience. But if it means for the sake of others, then so be it."

Miho turns around, her eyes teary. "You're real brave, Jonouchi. You're so selfless." She hangs her head, her bangs covering her eyes. "Am...Am I just too cowardly to not do the same thing?"

Jonouchi looks worriedly at Miho. "...Miho…"

"Hello, Miho, Jonouchi."

Both heads snap up to the direction of the voice.

"B-Bakura?!" Jonouchi exclaims, jumping at the sudden appearance of their white haired friend.

His hair shadow his eyes, expression unreadable.

"Where were you today? You missed school!" Jonouchi points out, suspicious. A gut feeling stirs in Jonouchi's stomach - something that called to Jonouchi as a warning, however, he ignores it at the gladness of seeing Bakura alright and there in person.

"Ah...well...I have discovered something that pertains to Dena," Bakura answers, raising his head. He had a strange smile on his face, however it quickly turns into a troubled expression.

"Eh? What about Dena?" Jonouchi questions, looking over to Miho in confusion.

"...I think I have found someone who is her sister. Her name is Brooke Kemp."

Both Jonouchi and Brooke gasp. _Brooke...is she the one? Is she actually here?_ "Then what are we waiting for! Let's get Dena so that she can confirm it!" Jonouchi exclaims with loud determination, pumping a fist.

Bakura gives a sigh. "I'm not sure...it could be quite dangerous if I drag the two of you in as well."

"What do you mean Bakura?" Miho speaks up finally, her face a bit red from talking to Bakura alone.

"Well...I'm afraid I did something to Brooke that potentially hurt her well being...I surely don't want you to get caught up in it." He says, his eyes sliding off to the side, unsure. Bakura looked so sorry that Jonouchi felt regret for having his instincts feel suspicious of him in the first place.

"That ain't no problem to us! Did ya see what happened today, Bakura?! We all escaped Kaiba's crazy fucking traps because we worked together! So I might as well call the others to your place to figure out this mystery! Whaddya say?!"

Bakura turns around. "...If you say so!" He turns back to Miho and Jonouchi, with a smile of relief. However, if you asked Jonouchi, Bakura's smile was a bit too _wide_ and giddy for his liking. "Meet me at my place. Here's my number." Bakura says to Jonouchi, giving him a slip of paper with his phone number. Jonouchi's gut feeling grows even more from oddness, seeing of it strange that Bakura conveniently had his phone number written down and ready. He brushes this off as easily - afterall, Bakura is a pretty practical and leveled person.

Both watch Bakura as he strolls away. He turns to Miho, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Well...this is gonna be the moment of truth, when we go over to Bakura's place! So we gotta be ready for anything!"

* * *

Waiting. Floating. It is a strange sensation and no sensation at the same time when one has no body to inhabit.

For one, it is pitch black and empty having been sealed into a Duel Monsters card. And for two, it is honestly cold and dark, and pretty frightening change of settings for Brooke. _Was I stupid for just straight up confronting the Spirit?_ Brooke wonders to herself, as she floats around in the endless space of darkness. If she had a body, she would probably be crying right now. However, nothing but sadness envelops and consumes her mind.

_Thanks to my stupidness, it'll be all my fault when Bakura tries to hurt Yugi, his friends, and my sister. Thanks to _me_ the course of events have already changed. Stupid, I'm so stupid!_ Brooke yells in her thoughts. A sudden glow and feeling of warmth rushes through Brooke. A scene slowly materializes into view, through the absolute darkness of Brooke's settings.

"Huh...what's this?" She says aloud, shielding her eyes.

"_Aye! What up guys! Long time no see!" _

"Ah...Honda…?" Brooke recognizes the voice. She squints at the glowing light, and manages to make out the figures of Yugi and all of his friends, much to her shock. However, all look different, older from their teenaged appearances. Of course, Yugi looks taller, and more like Atem, with his confident narrow eyes and lightly toned build. Anzu's hair is now shoulder lengthed and curly at the ends. Miho's once long lavender hair, is not cute short to her ears, now absent of any ribbon. Honda is growing a bit of a beard, weirding Brooke a lot. Jonouchi, weirding out Brooke even more, is wearing sharp red glasses. Glaringly to Brooke, she instantly notices that Ryou is absent from the group. A creeping sense of dread crawls into her stomach when seh notices this.

"_Haha...it's been awhile hasn't it? Are ya sure it's been ten years, cuz I sure think I look as handsome as my young self!"_ Jonouchi jokes to the others. They are laugh half heartedly.

"_You go think that, Jonouchi."_

"_Why must you all deny the facts?!"_

All chatter on, like the long time friends they are, despite being in their 20's. Brooke smiles warmly to herself, seeing the friends all bonding. _Friendships like theirs are so rare nowadays. But where is this coming from? Am I getting a glimpse of the future…?_ Brooke watches the happy scene on. All five of them walk cheerfully on through the familiar streets of Domino City. Finally, they arrive at a small spark, with the most beautiful cherry blossom tree in bloom. The sakura petals fly wildly through the air, almost looking like snow.

They all enter.

"_I sure hope that one of you guys remember where we put that capsule...Because I dunno where."_

"_Gah, Honda, you have such bad memory!"_

"_Don't worry guys! It's right near the roots of the trees!"_

"_Ah, good ol Yugi, he can always back all of us up!"_

They all continue to talk excitedly with each other, as they dig the spot near the tree. After a few minutes of digging, they finally unearth a box. Labled on it is: **Property of Yugi, Jonouchi, And the Friendly Sidekicks!** Brooke chortles, and she can practically see the red bulging marks on Anzu's head.

"_Goddamnit Jonouchi! So that's what you did to our box!"_

"_Gee, sorry sorry. Even if it is true…"_

"_JONOUCHI!" _

"_Ouch, gee, you guys!" _He whimpers, rubbing his head from the blows he recieved from Anzu, Honda, and Miho. _"No help, Yugi?!"_

"_Eh, I don't think I want the wraths of our friends incurred upon me…"_

"_Damn it all Yugi! Ya know what, let's just open our letters already!" _Jonouchi grumbles, opening the dirt covered box. Inside is revealed a stack of letters, and some photos. _"Would ya look at that...that time when we went to the amusement park."_ Jonouchi picks it up, and all crowd around it.

Anzu sighs, looking teary eyed. _"We all looked so happy. Especially him."_

Brooke peers closer - and sees the group looking at a long photo of a younger version of them, with Ryou present - and much to her surprise, yet she suspected it, her, in the photo. They all are grinning goofily in each shot. Anzu was right - Ryou is smiling gladly in each picture shot.

All of them are silent, as they look at the photo.

"_I wonder what happened to that smile." _Miho says, her expression looking on the brink of tears.

Jonouchi, quiet, sets the picture down gently aside. _"...Ladies first, I suppose?"_

"_If you insist."_ Anzu says, with a half hearted smile. She takes the letter covered in glitter.

"_Ugh, did you have to put glitter, it littered the rest of our letters,"_ Honda teases, in an attempt to brighten up the considerably darkened mood.

"_Shush your face Honda, you're the one that pasted your face onto the body of Jackie Chan…"_

"_H-He was my favorite action movie guy when I was a teenafer, what can ya say?!"_

"_Anyway, let me read aloud my letter: 'Dear Older Me, How are you doing? I hope that you're in America already, dancing your heart out and following our dreams! If you're doing something different, but you enjoy it, that's OK too, as long as I am happy. I also hope that you're still good friends with everyone! Our friendship is unbreakable and something we should treasure, and I sincerely hope that we won't be like those people that just drop their friends by no longer talking to each other. That's all I hope for the future. Best Wishes, Younger Anzu!"_

"_Heyyy, isn't there more of the letter! I think I see a heart that says, Dark Yugi and Anzu…"_

"_KEEP YOUR DAMN EYES OFF MY LETTER!"_

"_Mercy woman, mercy!"_

"_Well, I guess that half of your letter came true. You're going to America by this January, aren't you?"_

"_Yeah, after all my years of hardwork, it finally paid off!"_

"_Not to mention, you are kissing on the tree with Yugi!" Jonouchi says rather loudly. _

"_No need to state the OBVIOUS." Anzu blushes, holding hands with Yugi who is blushing furiously as well. _

"_Ah, it's Miho's turn, isn't it?" _Miho takes the pink envelope, tied with a small ribbon.

"_Typical Miho." _Honda chuckles.

"_Ehehe. I have no idea why I actually liked ribbons...I grew out of it. Well, here's my letter: 'Dear Miho-Chan in the Future, I hope that you'll become the greatest and most wonderful violin player by the time you grow up! Or I grow up. I don't know, it's so confusing! I also hope that you finally escaped our father to follow your true religion and live out your own life. But it's impossible to think of, isn't it? Well, that's why I like to think of the future! Good luck future me! Love, Miho-Chan." _Miho puts the letter to her heart, looking a bit heartbroken. The rest are quiet.

"_...I'm sorry I failed you, younger self. I haven't escaped father at all. I haven't chased our passions of becoming a great violinist or converting." _She whispers. The rest are silent. A fat tear trickles down her face.

The rest hug her. _"You'll always be the greatest violin player to us. And someday, maybe you'll be able to break free of your father's household." _Jonouchi comforts her.

"_I suppose...I guess that's why I always loved the future. To know that something can happen._" Miho sighs through tears. Brooke watches closely. What did Miho mean…?

"_Hey Yugi, you wanna go?"_

"_Sure, if you're alright with it. Here's my letter: 'Hello Future Me! Did you get any taller? I really, really hope so! It would be great to think of! I'm not quite sure to think of the future. I would like to think that Other Me is still with me in the future, but something tells me that some people come and go...anyway, I'm not really sure what I want to be for the future. Is that bad? Well I guess I wanna go to college and stuff and probably find a job that pursues my love in games! That's basically it!"_

"_Haha, so simple minded Yugi!"_

"_Heh, I bet the last thing that my younger self expected, was for me to become a video game designer."_

"_You made your first game release not too long ago, am I right Yugi?"_

"_Yep! I'm glad that it's doing well among the public!"_

"_Good to know, I should buy it and check it out sometime!"_

"_Welp, my turn!" _Honda declares, grabbing his letter out of the box.

"_Hey I wanted to go first!"_

"_Too bad, you're too slow. Anyway, here's mine: 'Become a black belt at judo and karate, find a hot girlfriend, and settle down.'_

Everyone is comedically quiet for a moment, expecting more from Honda.

"_And?"_

"_That's it! Well, there's also 50 yen in here…"_

"_Wow, you had SUCH an imagination when you were 17 years old!"_

"_I WAS 17 years old, ya dumbass!"_

"_Now, now, girls you're both pretty!"_ Anzu interrupts, breaking up the fight about to break out between both hotheaded boys.

"_Hmph! My turn, the great finale! Jonouchi, Beat Kaiba, beat up Kaiba, and prove yourself equal to Yugi. Oh yeah, manage to graduate highschool and not fail. I don't want to be left behind afterall! Plus become the greatest duelist ever and marry an actress."_

"_Ha, not much better than mine! And lucky for your younger self, you BARELY passed highschool!"_

"_Hey, hey, Algebra was fucking hard!"_

"_Oh yeah, and why didn't you put that you wanted to be married to Brooke!" _Anzu mentions teasingly. Instantly, Brooke feels heat rush to her absent face. Why would Anzu say that? She would never imagine someone like _Jonouchi_ to ever like someone like her!

"_Pfft, why would I put that, PFFFFTtt!"_

"_Completely in denial…"_

Everyone looks into the box, seeing two letters left. Brooke feels herself smile, with a bit of nostalgia and gladness and sadness, knowing that of course she can't be there amongst with the Yu-Gi-Oh characters in the future. But it was nice to see some of herself left with them. She still couldn't help but wonder where Ryou was in this picture...however, the dark part of Brooke tells her the truth. But she ignores this, watching the scene of the future.

"_Huh, looks like Ryou's and Brooke's letters are left. Think they'd mind if we read em'?"_

"_Well, who else would?"_

"_Let's read it then give it him."_

Brooke smiles in relief hearing one of them say this about Ryou. Maybe the future she is witnessing right now is a happy one, where Ryou is still alive, and the letter is not true…

"_But we can't give it to Brooke...d'ya think she'd like for us to read it?"_

"_Hmm...well, curiosity sure is killing me! Let's go!"_

Anzu picks up Brooke's letter. _"I'll read it outloud, and omit any parts where I think Brooke will be embarrassed for us - a.k.a the boys to hear."_ Brooke giggles softly. She was glad to imagine that she became good friends with Anzu in the distant past. Jonouchi and the rest groan with anticipation. _"Here it goes: To My Friends and Everyone Else, I know that I won't be standing there with you, 10 years into the future, reading our letters. But I'd like for you to read my letter anyway."_

"_Haha, see!" _Jonouchi proclaims, triumphant at Brooke's words, though looking very wistful.

"_Just so you know, it was so, so fun being with all of you, on all of your adventures in your world. You welcomed and accepted me as your friend, and that's something I'll value and treasure forever. I wish I can be there with you guys, but I have no idea if that'll be aloud, given my origins of where I actually come from. To Miho, you always had such pretty hair, and I hope that someday, you will pursue your dream of becoming a violinist. And don't always beat yourself up at being jealous - it's normal, and human. To Anzu, you were a great friend with a confidence I wish that I possess, and I hope I learned from you. To Honda, you were always so courageous and one to jump to action. To Yugi, your endless optimism inspires me and something I hope to have one day. To Jonouchi, you were the one that was always there to protect and wipe away my tears. To Ryou, don't beat yourself up as well. I'm not angry at you, and sometimes you have to let people help you as well. _

"_In the end, I love all of you guys, and thank you for being my friends. I wish you the most happiest of futures. Love, Brooke."_

Everyone is teary eyed, tears of gladness escaping out of their eyes.

"_Good old Brooke. Always sincere."_

"_She even wrote the parts addressed to us on separate pieces of paper for each of us." _Anzu says, handing out the slips of paper from Brooke to each of them.

"_She's so prepared - I was afraid we were gonna have to rip it up in order to split it."_

Everyone's eyes fall on the final letter - Bakura's.

"_Let me do the honors, if you don't mind, all of you." _Brooke is taken aback at how polite Jonouchi asked the group, unlike he did in their past casual and playful snark. Everyone nods, giving the ok Jonouchi. _"Ok then. Ahem - 'To my Friends in the Future, How are you all doing?"_

All of their faces form into confusion.

"_I hope you're all happy in the future together. To Jonouchi, you were so tall and bold with your opinions and always protecting your friends. Not to mention, you were always so good at soccer ball and being there for others. I admired you alot."_

"_You're kidding! Is this some type of joke?!"_ Miho snaps, shoving Jonouchi angrily. Brooke jumps at the harshness in Miho's voice.

"_I'm not! Miho, I'm not the type to make stupid jokes out of this stuff, especially our friend!" _He snaps back, angry himself.

"_I was really nervous moving to Domino Highschool, because I was worried I would hurt more new friends. But you were all so different, sticking with me all of the way. If I haven't let fear control my life, myself...I should've joined the soccer club like you said, Jonouchi."_

At this point, everyone is now quiet, listening to Jonouchi, their eyes wide with confusion and grief building up in them.

"_To Miho, you were always so happy and bright and optimistic, in spite of your home life. I should have aspired to be more like you and follow your example. Whenever I felt depressed, you would always say something optimistic to pep me up, and that really helped on some days. And your red bean cake was always delicious."_

Miho is shaking, her hands on her mouth.

"_To Honda, you were such a strong and bold person. You would charge into any fight, fearless. I wish I could have been more like you, instead of so weak. You also said the most funniest things at the weirdest times. They always cracked me up, even if I didn't get it, and even if they were a bit uhm, vulgar, so to say."_

Honda is clenching his hands into fists, his jaw set into stiffness.

"_To Anzu, you're a really confident girl that always believes in what she says, to the point where it really convinced a lot of people. You can be really intimidating at times, but that's for the better, mostly for Brooke's and Miho's sake. I remembered once when you got really angry at Kaiba, and it was very brave and cool of you - I think he even flinched a bit when you scolded him!"_

Anzu is biting the bottom of her lip, her hand on her forehead.

"_To Yugi, you were always so faithful, selfless, and courageous in your own quiet way, but at the same time it was so loud. I wish I can be like you, because not quite a lot of people ever seem to notice me because of my quietness. Don't ever think that you're generosity and willingness to forgive is a bad trait - because it is something that gives you strength, and I hope you can never forget that."_

Silent tears are trickling down Yugi's face, as he grips Anzu's hand.

"_Finally, To Brooke."_

Brooke perks up, hearing her name, her heart caught in her throat.

"_You were such a modest person and always thought about others before yourself. But sometimes, the helpers need help. Because you always helped other people, but it sort of seem that nobody would notice your own sadness. I always noticed, Brooke. And I loved how happy you look whenever others look happy around you. You look more relaxed and carefree, and I hope you'll be able to feel that way all of the time. Remember that time when you made camp food at Duelist Kingdom? They were the best thing ever, even though they did came out of a box, you still managed to make it taste like it as homecooked. Your cooking was always the best, and I always looked forward to it whenever I came home. Thank you, all for never once giving up on me._

"_I know that all of you will be alright in the future, smiling and laughing together. -Bakura Ryou."_

All are silent. None say anything.

"_Well?!"_ Miho says, looking at Jonouchi.

"_...Yeah?"_

"_His prediction?!"_

"...It's not here."

"_What do you mean? What do you mean it's not there!" _Miho shouts, the tears finally releasing._ "I don't believe you! I don't believe you!" _She yells hysterically, banging her fist against Jonouchi's chest. All the while, he is staring off blankly, tears dripping out of his eyes as well.

"_Why...Why? What do you mean it's not there? What about his dreams? We all agreed that we will all write a letter about our dreams for the future! So why...why didn't he write his…?" _Miho sobs.

"_How should I know?! Ask him yourself!" _Jonouchi finally snaps, throwing the box on the ground.

"_Why...why, Ryou?! Why…?" _Miho sniffles, hollering at the sky. Everyone else is absolutely quiet and stunned, all crying at this point. They stare at the box with Bakura's letter remaining in it. The sakura petals swirl around them, silent and beautiful.

"_...Didn't he know that he'll have a future?" _Yugi quivers, speaking up, voice cracking.

"_Unless...unless he decided for...himself…"_ Anzu cracks at the very thought.

All snap their heads towards her, knowing very well the implication.

"_It was an accident! He died in an accident! Nothing more! There CAN'T be anymore to that, there just can't be! I refuse to believe it!"_ Honda yells, tears flowing down his cheeks angrily. Brooke feels her blood run cold. This was the future she is witnessing...the future in which Ryou Bakura truly is gone…

"_Everything...everything changed ever since that day, hasn't it?! If...if we haven't been so clueless...so damn clueless...we would've noticed something! We all wrote our capsule a week before the accident...why...why haven't we noticed? Why have we changed?!" _Miho sobs in a fit of hiccups and grief. Honda has her in his arms, crying with her.

"_She's right...Brooke went away because she felt like it was her fault, we all hardly talk anymore - it's just not the same, isn't it?!"_

"_Enough…! Enough of this blaming and regrets! Gone with it!" _Anzu berates them, stomping her foot. She wipes her face furiously. _"Let's...let's go see Ryou, now. Let's go celebrate the birthday that he couldn't and didn't allow himself to have."_

Brooke is sobbing quietly as she watches the scene, completely lost for words. It is a completely uncomfortable sensation, given the fact she has no body, so it was quite tight and compressing, and the sadness is practically eating her alive. She watches the scene, as it slowly fades out. Before it completely disappears, she hears Anzu say to everyone,

"_We should never bicker and let our grief take over like this again. It's really hard but...let's keep a promise to Ryou. He said in his letter that in the future, he knows for a fact that we will all still be happy and laughing...so...let's fulfill the promise and not let him down!"_

And then the warmth goes out.

This leaves Brooke even more emptier than ever.

_I should've read more of the letter. It would've told me more...I had no idea...and how was I able to see the future?_

"You were able to see the future back there, young lady, because your soul is disembodied from your physical body."

Brooke turns to the direction of the voice - and sees a glowing woman, with black obsidian skin, flashing yellow cat like eyes, with a pink dress and white frock, and jet black wings majestically surrounding her. Her face is set in a picture of calm and demureness, as she looks upon Brooke.

"You're...you're Marie the Fallen One? But...how?"

Marie smiles at Brooke, bemused. "I am the one who lives and resides in this card afterall."

"Oh! Uhm, I'm sorry if I'm invading…"

"No, no you're not, it's been quite awhile since I had company. Besides, I will not blame you dear, for the circumstances that put you in here. Shadow Magic is a powerful and dark thing, and the person who put you in here had lots of it." Maries cocks her head, her yellow eyes unblinking. "You were quite the brave one for putting of with the Shadow User, but so foolish as well. You are not a wielder, are you?"

Brooke sighs. "I know, it was stupid of me."

"It's quite alright. You humans can be so brash and reckless at times, but in the end it's alright." Marie sits cross legged in mid-air, floating around and about. Brooke stares at her, in a mixture of awe. "You're not a magic user, but I can sense a residue of magic coming off of you...you're not from this world, are you?"

"No, no I'm not. Do you have any idea how I got here…?"

"Well, no. But I am sure some type of magic brought you here."

"Oh." Brooke is quiet for a moment. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but are all Duel Monster cards...uhm, alive in some way?"

Marie opens one eye, looking as if she were meditating. "In a way, I suppose. All cards have souls residing in them, the souls of the Duel Monster. Afterall, we do gain some form of will and conscious, being that we are made of magic and shadows from the past as well from the players that use us."

"Well that's interesting to know! But, how was I able to see the future back there…?"

"Think of it as, erm, astral projecting, as you humans would call it, am I not correct? When your soul is separated from one's physical body, it is much easier to keep in touch with your magical and spritual side more. That back there is an incident of your soul being able to connect with the future. It happens most often when disconnected from your body. Quite often physical bodies or being on the physical plane can disable you humans from actually being in touch with magic."

"Wow." Brooke blinks. "So...I just have to wait here until my soul gets released?" She says aloud, stating the obvious.

"Pretty much. I think I have a board game of Monopoly here…"

"Uhm, Monopoly?"

"What else are you supposed to do here?" Marie chuckles.

Brooke blinking, manages a smile. "True. Though I would never figure a Duel Monster would have a sense of humor."

"Hehe, well I get that quite a lot."

So then Brooke settles down to play Monopoly with Marie the Fallen One, wondering in the back of her mind how long would Atem be able to beat Bakura at his game and released her from the trading card. Until then, she might have to master the art of Monopoly…

* * *

**A/N: Yeah...Marie the Fallen One has a Monopoly board game. Deal with it. XD This was a HUGE chapter, holy crap! I hope you folks can see the effort I put into it! Reviews once again are much appreciated! **


	9. A Duel of Destiny?

**A/N: Woo-hoo! It's spring break! Thank the Lord! :,D**

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The Rainwalker: **Thanks for reviewing once again! Yepyep, I'm gonna have so much fun playing around Kaiba from this point on (lol that sounded kinda wrong…). I may or may not follow the canon - who knows? There's more in store for the future!**

Gozekuu: **It really flatters me to see how enthusiastic and appreciative of this fic. It makes me feel loved. :,D Don't worry, Dena will go through plenty of development where she'll be able to be more emotionally connectable to the readers. I purposely write her perspective emotionally indifferent because ya know, characters have their flaws and all. Eventually, over time, all will be revealed. There might be more timeskips to the future, hey, who knows? Thanks so much for reviewing and I hope you can read more in the future!**

angiembabe: **Thank you for reviewing like you said! Yeah, plenty of people are finding the third POV pretty convenient. X0**

Shadowclanwarrior: **Haha, I dropped it in, because technically its true and Dena has a knack for noticing the tiniest of details… XD**

AlexistheEliatrope: **I assure you, things will change for the better. (Or will they…? *evil giggles*) **

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**~Chapter Ten~**

Dena tries to keep her gaze averted from the ever so still Kaiba. But there are times when she slips, and sneaks a peek at him, while the doctor drones on to Mokuba about Kaiba's condition. The vacant, blank look on Kaiba's face haunts her every time. Sure, his everyday normal expression when he still had his mind intact, was devoid of any emotion in the first place, but now that he's catatonic, it's like his body was there but his mind isn't really _there._

Which was pretty much the case, if Dena would dare say it.

She ponders. She ponders as to what kind of power, what kind of ability that...that whoever took over Yugi (because she was damn certain for sure despite only knowing the crazy spiky haired kid for over a day, he wasn't that..._intimidating_) had to put Kaiba in a state like this. There had to be some sort of explanation.

If there isn't, well…

Those dark purple abyss like eyes accented with flames of red haunts Dena. She shudders. She hoped that she certainly wouldn't have to bump into the thing that took over Yugi anytime soon.

"...So just have services tend to him and attend his daily needs." The doctor finally finishes.

Mokuba, looking a bit relieved that the doctor finally stopped his long descriptive babbling, nods tiredly and dismisses him with a wave of his hand. Getting the cue, the doctor bows, exiting the room wordlessly. This leaves Dena, Mokuba, and Kaiba all alone in the room together. The little boy stares at the shell of his beloved brother. Dena, awkward, places a hand on his shoulder.

His head turned from Dena he suddenly says, "I'm sorry about what my brother almost did to you. It was wrong. And I'm really sorry that I dueled you with the intent to kill."

"Uhm yeah. Yeah, I know Mokuba-kid. It ain't your fault." Dena says, mumbling, tripping over her words. "...It was pretty screwed up. All I can say is that your brother has one hell of an imagination." She forces a laugh, but shortly realized how insensitive she sounded. _Nice one Dena. Nice one. _

Mokuba bows his head. "...He wasn't always like this, you know."

Dena bites her bottom lip down, as an attempt to not let anymore thoughtless words tumble out of her mouth. However, she briefly questions Mokuba's statement. Seto Kaiba, not always the psychotic jerk that Dena came to know? She found it a little bit hard to believe, let alone imagine.

"He...There was a time where he used to smile." Mokuba whispers, raising his head. His wide dark blue eyes look shiny, as he looks off to Kaiba's direction. "A time where...he cared."

"Oh." Well, she was at a stupor. And Dena felt pretty stupid for not knowing what to say. "Hey...er, are you gonna cry?"

Mokuba sniffles loudly, wiping his face. "No! I'm not!"

"Geez! Well, it looks like it!"

"..."

Abruptly, Mokuba dives his head into her arm. Dena freezes up. She instantly relaxes, when shes the blank face of Kaiba staring vacantly off at the wall. _Mokuba-kid needs someone. _Much to discomfort and involuntary disgust, Mokuba unintentionally blows his nose loudly, wetness taking over that area of her sweater. "Eh, there...there." Dena pats the top of his head, once again, awkwardly if not standoffishly. "Erm, I'll be here for you Mokuba-kid, as long as I can for the rest of the week of my stay here."

To her relief, Mokuba raises his head, wiping his face furiously. "Sorry," He mutters, nodding to the wet area of her sweater.

"It's cool." Dena replies, taking off her sweater and laying it off to the side.

"Since my big brother is out of commission...you can stay here for as long as you like, Dena."

"Eh? Really? Gee Mokuba, you don't need to do that."

"No, it's okay. I mean, after all you done for me, I owe you something. My brother and I were real jerks to you and your friends. I might as well pay it back."

"Oh...wow. Uhm, ok Mokuba-kid." Dena says, rubbing his back, feeling weirdly sentimental.

"Excuse me, Master Mokuba and Miss Kemp," A butler enters the room, formal and rigid like all of the other Kaiba Mansion staff.

Mokuba's eyes widen, as he desperately tries to wipe the remaining tears and snot off his face. "Y-Yes!" He replies, in a failed attempt sounding snappish. To Dena, it almost sounds as if Mokuba was trying to imitate his brother for a second. _It's so weird that in spite of all what that guy did to Mokuba, that the little guy still admires him. _Quickly, Brooke's smiling face flashes across Dena's mind. _At this point, I think I'm perfectly willing to forgive and forget ol' Brooke. I'm starting to miss her. Waaayyy too much for my liking. _She thought the last part sheepishly, a bit of her pride hurt.

"So sorry to interrupt," The butler bows deeply, his expression unreadable that would indicate any reaction witnessing Mokuba's state. "But a young man by the name of Katsuya Jonouchi strongly demands for the presence of Dena."

"Can you tell him to wait till tomorrow?" Dena asks, frowning a little.

"Well, he also asked me to mention to you that he has news of your sister, Brooke."

Dena freezes up, her mouth freezing into the shape of an 'O.' She snaps her head to Mokuba, who looked pretty lost.

"You have a sister?"

"Pretty much! This is like, a really big deal for me, like a huge game changer - I hope you don't mind Mokuba-kid, but I have to check this out. This could be a huge clue as to why I'm here." Dena says briskly, her voice urgent.

Mokuba blinks. He nods slowly. "Yeah. Yeah, I understand. I hope your sister's alright."

Dena smiles, and gives Mokuba a quick hug. She then ruffles the top of his head. "Thanks Mokuba." With that, she speeds out of the room.

* * *

Well, well, well. This was all just too damn _easy. _And it's all thanks to that nervous little girl, Brooke Kemp.

He feels a grin stretch on his face when the doorbell rings. Such gullible fools they were - like moths drawn to a light. Leisurely, he walks to the door, and opens it revealing the all too familiar spiky haired boy - Yugi was it? - and his merry followers. A new, unfamiliar face in the group, immediately tips Him off that the new face is Brooke's dear little sister. Though, he briefly pondered on the obvious fact that this Dena girl and Brooke don't look anything alike. Olive skin, darkish blonde hair that flies around her hair like wisps from being unbrushed, bright brown eyes, and a baggy, careless attire, He would've never given the second thought that they were ever related. But no matter. He curls a small side smile. It's her he should _certainly_ thank.

"Ah, welcome," He says intimidating his Host's voice perfectly opening the door wider for entry. "Come in. I've been anxiously waiting your arrival."

"Great to see ya too, Kura'!" Jonouchi states in his rather loud voice, kicking off his shoes carelessly.

He feels his nose wrinkle in distaste. 'Kura?' What an insulting, over casual name. He secretly had no idea how his Host could handle that big mouthed blonde boy. Bakura watches all of them carefully and closely, as they take off their shoes and enter the house - his domain. His eyes are trained closely on Yugi's Puzzle, hanging so innocently and flashingly around his neck. Anytime he could just _grab_ it - but that isn't the way of how Shadow Magic works. He must've been staring too much, because Yugi spoke up.

"Erm, Bakura, are you okay?" He asks.

He nods slowly. "Yes. Just a bit...distressed."

"Eh? Whaddya mean? Miho and Jonouchi called us over here because you said you found something about Dena's sister. And that she could be in some sorta trouble." Honda says, nodding over to the short blonde haired girl. His gaze slides over to her lazily. Curtly, she flashes a short smile, though it is clear that she is quite restless.

He nods once again. "Yes, that's quite right. I fear I might've put her in danger." He waves his hand, gesturing for the group to come closer. He leads them deeper into his apartment, to the bedroom of where a soulless Brooke resides. "I hope that you are prepared to see this," He calls out over his back, as he twists open the door. He smirks to himself. _They certainly better be prepared indeed. _

He leads them inside the room. Murmurs of confusion arise from them. On the bed is a seemingly sleeping girl. "Brooke! It really is her!" Dena exclaims, her face lighting up. "Boy oh boy am I glad to see a familiar face!' She rushes to Brooke's side, and shakes her like crazy. "Get up, ya sleepyhead!" The girl says with a huge grin on her face, prodding her unconscious sister's face like an excited puppy. "Erm, sis?"

He leans against the wall, feeling quite bored.

"That's the thing," He says in his best, empathetic voice. "She can't wake up…"

Dena spins around, alert. "W-what? What _happened_ to her?!"

His eyes slide off to the side, to Yugi and his friends. "Do you remember that other day when I told you the reason why I transferred schools?" They all nod slowly in answer, while Dena is kneeling besides her sister, looking very much confused.

"What do you mean? What does this have to do with anything?"

He grits his teeth at the annoying high pitched voice of Dena. That would have to take some getting used to. However, his expression is in the mask of grief and regret. "That everytime I play games with someone...they somehow end up in a coma…"

Dena blinks. She jumps to her feet, fierce. "Look, I know I just met you and all, but honest to God that's _bull!_"

"Settle down Dena," Anzu says in a stern but somehow gentle voice at the same time. She puts a hand on Dena's shoulder, squeezing it. Dena's expression is still hard, as she glares at Him, but she quiets down.

"Just...just how in the hell is that possible? Tell me that?"

"I don't know," He hears himself sigh. "But I believe it's all because of me."

"Hey, hey, that's not true Bakura!" The purple haired girl - Miko or Miho, something along the lines - speaks up, her face slightly red. He sneers at her obvious admiration for his Host. How long has her charades been going on? "Right? Right guys?" She says breathlessly, asking the others. They all nod vigurously in agreement in answer.

"We'll prove it to ya, Bakura! Hey, maybe if we play a game of - oh I dunno, Duel Monsters, we'll solve this mystery!"

He supresses laughter. Yes, yes, this is _quite_ painstakingly easy. "Really? It might be dangerous…"

"Aw, come on, you're our friend Bakura! Hey Yuge, you have ya deck?"

"Yep, sure do!"

"Alright! Well Yugi here is gonna duel against you, while the rest of us watch ya!"

"Really? Well, if you insist…" He acts like slumping his shoulders, giving the illusion of giving up to the others. However, on the inside, he was all too giddy and triumphant. They were literally dancing into his trap, the clueless fools! But he couldn't say the same for that equally loud mouthed Dena Kemp.

"I can't believe you guys! You seriously think that a _card game_ will solve all of this?! What about my sister?!" She fumes, quite angry and red at the face.

"Relax, relax Dena. There's a lot of things unanswered. We just gotta take it one step at a time." Anzu says to her a motherly voice, patting her shoulder. Dena once again goes quiet from the comforting words of Anzu. He rolls his eyes in secret. If he didn't know better, he would say that the girl had some infatuation with Anzu. _Isn't that quite scandulous? _He chuckles silently to himself, mindlessly listening to the chatter of Yugi and his friends.

"...Alright. We're gonna find out what's happening here," Dena mumbles, straightening her glasses. "But I can't believe it. We're gonna try to solve what in the hell happened to my sister, by playing a _card game._" She shakes her head, as they all exit the room. "We should be calling the damn police…" Once again, he feels his jaw clench. Would he take so much joy in sealing that squeaky voiced girl in a Duel Monster's card. The body he inhabits can only take so much…

He takes his place at the end of the table, the others taking theirs across from him. He reveals his deck of cards, setting it to his right side. "Before we play the game, how about the rest of you choose your favorite cards and put it in Yugi's deck? That way, all of you can be playing together with him." _Hehe. More or less. _

They all glance to each other, their faces lighting up, except for Dena's. "Yeah, sure, that sounds like a good idea!"

"Ah, but Yugi doesn't have a lot of girlish Duel Monsters in his deck," frowns Miho, as she looks through the pile of cards.

"Eh, I have mine," grunts Dena. "It's a second version that I carry around."

"Ooh, thanks Dena!"

"Hmm...I choose Cyber Commander, who kicks ass all the way!" Honda declares, raising up a card.

"Flames Swordsman for me!" Jonouchi says proudly, slapping his card gladly into Yugi's deck.

"I'll go with the Magician of Faith!" says Anzu.

"Crystal Seer, which I borrowed from Dena's deck!" Miho chirps, putting her deck into Yugi's.

"Nurse Reficule the Fallen One, I guess," Dena says not so enthusiastically as the others, adding the final card.

"Dark Magician all the way!" Yugi says excitedly, showing the card for his friends to see. All the while, Bakura watches from afar, bemused. _Cherish this last moment, all of you, before I seal your souls into your own cards._

"Great! Mine is Change of Heart!" _I'll just seal a part of Host's soul into this card. That way, he can be playing with his friends too. Hehe, won't he be thanking me. _"Now…" He drops his Host's facade, letting the Millennium Ring materialize into view. The others jump in surprise, staring at the Ring, transfixed. "Let the real games begin!" Intense glowing radiates from the Ring.

"Aah! I can't handle anymore freaky stuff!" Hollers Jonouchi, as he falls lifeless with his other comrades, leaving only Yugi still conscious and alive. All in the while, the room has drastically darken, shadows slithering everywhere like wild dark creatures. Noticeably the temperature has dropped as well, an unforgivable cold that would make anyone shiver. Expect for Him, that is. He has grown used to the cold for over millennia, for what it seem.

Yugi is looking around wildly, his eyes widening as he looks at each of the lifeless bodies of his fallen friends. His eyes snap back to Him, an alertness and shock in them. "B-Bakura? What's happening!? Is this the phenomenon that you talked about, this thing that happens to your friends?!"

"Heh. A bit. I'm not quite Bakura, if you were to say so. I'm someone else entirely." He flashes a toothy grin, and points abruptly at his Puzzle. "If you want to free your friends, you must duel me and win. Lose, and your friends' souls are lost forever as well as yours, and I get your Millennium Puzzle."

"My Puzzle?" The boy's hands fly up to it, protectively. "Why do _you_ want it?"

"I'm a collector or sorts. A thief if you want to be more specific. And I want that Puzzle. So? Are you going to stop blabbering, or duel me?" He says, patience running thin.

Yugi stares at him, starstruck and at disbelief. "You're not Bakura, are you?"

"Aren't you a smart one?"

His face hardens into steel determination. "Take my soul as well!"

"What?!" He hisses. He enjoyed the stupidity of others very much so, but this goes _beyond_ human foolishness.

"That's right! Take my soul, whoever you are, and you'll see what's in store for you!"

He squints his eyes at him. Then he shrugs, smiling cockily. "Alright. Whatever you say," He grins, playing along. "_**SEAL SOUL!**_" He booms out, pointing his finger at Yugi. With another intense flash of light from the Ring, Yugi falls slack.

But only for a second.

To Bakura's disbelief, the body of Yugi rises. "You're on, Bakura!" Yugi, yet it couldn't possibly be, says to Bakura, voice full of confidence. Looking at his eyes, they seem sharper, bolder, a fierceness that Bakura never witnessed from this boy with no backbone. Not to mention, the posture and voice changed as well, shoulders wider and back straightened, voice deeper and more bold. What sort of thing took place here? But it clicks together instantly in His head when he glances momentarily at the Puzzle.

"Oh, hoho, _I see._ You're a fellow spirit trapped in a Millennium Item as well."

"A...spirit?" The, Other Yugi He will now refer to him, raises an eyebrow. He feels himself raise an eyebrow as well. _So this Spirit doesn't believe me? Heh, no matter. There is not time to sit down and have a cup of tea talking and answering questions. _

He draws five cards, and looks expectantly at Other Yugi. "Well? The Other You left the game to you. Will you not take it?" He mocks.

The Other Yugi's eyes narrow. "Very well. I'll go first." He draws six cards, eyes analyzing his hand.

"Well?"

"Let's duel!"

* * *

**Yugi: **_2000_

**Bakura: **_2000_

He certainly had no idea what was going on. But he did know a couple of things for sure: His friends are in danger, and the other part of him is depending on him to save all of them. He had to take up this responsibility. He gazes down at all of the cards in hand, frowning to see Cyber Commander. _Isn't this Honda's favorite card?_ He ponders. Curious and compelled to see what would happen, Yugi places it on the field. "I summon, Cyber Commander!"

With a burst of light, a figure starts materializing on the field. Before Yugi's eyes and to his very shock, he sees a small minature version of Honda on the field, dressed exactly like the Duel Monster card, Cyber Commander. Little Honda looks around, very much confused. Amazed, Yugi looks up to Bakura, whoever he is. "You...You sealed my friends' souls inside their favorite cards!"

"That's right!" He smirks. "Now will you end your turn or not?"

"Hey! Hey, what's happening here?!" Cries out the voice of Honda. Yugi looks worriedly down on Honda. Honda flinches, seeing the towering size of Yugi.

"Oh my god, oh my god, what in the hell is happening here?!"

"Calm down Honda," Yugi says in a most reassuring voice he could muster. "Just trust me on this, and try not to panic. Follow my lead, and you'll be safe." He raises his head, eyes looking directly into his opponent. "With that, I end my turn!"

"Very well! Quite a tough looking Cyber Commander you have down there," smirks Bakura, as he looks down at Honda. Honda instantly flinches under the cold gaze of the Spirit. "But can he stand against my Regenerating Mummy?" With that, he places a card on the field, revealing a grotesque and half dead figure. One single eye peeks out of the decaying bandages, looking straight at Honda. Honda gives a short scream, jumping backwards. "Attack, Cyber Commander!" A loud snarl coming out of the mummy, it lunges for Honda.

"Pleaseletitbeadream, pleaseletitbeadream, pleaseletit -" From a fatal blow from the mummy, Honda's ramblings are cut off. In a flash of red light, Honda then disappears from the field.

"No! Honda!" Yugi cries out, slamming a fist on the table.

Bakura chuckles darkly, clearly enjoying the Other Yugi's despair. "Another reckless move like that, and another one of your friends will wind up in the Grave. Is this how you play, Yugi? Mindlessly sacrificing your own monsters? Such a shame. Tsk, tsk." He shakes his head with mock disgust. "I set a card and end my turn." He says smoothly, placing a card in the Spell/Trap Zone.

Gritting his teeth, Yugi draws a card. "My turn!" He looks down at his hand. His eyes widen to see Flames Swordsman, Jonouchi's favorite card. _I can't risk playing it! But...I have to win this duel. And in order to win this duel, I must trust in my deck, myself, and my friends!_ "I summon the Flames Swordsman, in attack mode!"

A flash of light, and there on the table stands a six-inch tall Jonouchi. He looks around, just as confused as Honda. "Hrmmm...eh? What's happening? Hey Yugi whaddya think - GAH!" Jonouchi yelps when turning around, seeing Yugi's towering figure. "W-what?! Aw man, maybe it wasn't a good idea to eat all those burritos at lunch today...I finally cracked…" Jonouchi whimpers regrettably. Yugi hears Bakura snort from Jonouchi's silly antics.

"Jonouchi, listen to me! You are participating in a Shadow Game, and Bakura - at least the Spirit that has taken over his body - has placed you and our friends' souls inside Duel Monster cards. So now, you are the Flames Swordsman!"

"Say what now?!"

"All you just have to do is follow my lead, and everything will be fine! Trust me!"

"Erm...well, whatever ya say, Yugi." He turns around, and flinches at seeing a huge Bakura, smirking down at him. "_Whoa!_ Man oh man this is so trippy...and what is with that freaky mummy over there?! Holy crap!"

"Like I said Jonouchi, trust me!" Yugi says to Jonouchi, voice strong and sturdy.

Bakura sneers, jeering. "You play yet another tough looking guy, so what? His attack points are the same as my Regenerating Mummy. You just summoned a lost cause."

"Not for long!" Yugi puts a card on the field. "I activate the Magic Card, Horn of the Unicorn!" A glow of light, and a floating unicorn horn appears on the field, emitting a comforting warm light. "Jonouchi! Take the horn, and your attack will raise by 700!"

"Seriously?! Alright then!" Jonouchi makes a grab for the horn, and a glow surrounds him as well.

"Now the Flames Swordsman attack is 2500!"

Bakura's eyes narrow in a brewing anger.

"Jonouchi! Attack Regenerating Mummy!"

"No need to say it twice! Haaa!" Jonouchi gives a battle cry, charging at the undead monster. In a blink of an eye, Jonouchi breezily slashes through it.

"Grrr…!" Bakura growls, clenching his heart.

**Bakura: **_1300_

**Yugi: **_2000_

"Awwww yeah boy! Did ya see what I did there?! Did ya Yugi?! I freaking Tomahawk-chopped that little undead bastard! Hell yeah!" Jonouchi proceeds to do a little victory dance on the field, waving his huge orange swords about in triumphant victory. Bakura watches in disgust, teeth clenched. Yugi manages a small smile.

"Indeed I did, Jonouchi. But it's not over yet. I end my turn."

"About time you stopped your little pep talk. Be prepared for what lies in my deck, Yugi - for the dead do not always stay in rest." While talking, the holder of the Ring places a facedown monster. "I also set another card down. End turn." He says, with an awfully huge grin on his face, his soulless brown eyes glinting dangerously.

Jonouchi is clearly creeped out. "Okay, I am not used to seeing such a creepy smile on Bakura's face. Not at all!"

Yugi simply raises an eyebrow. _A Facedown card? What is the worst that lies in there…?_ However, feeling uncomfortable at Bakura's lasting smirk, suspicion arises in his gut. _Bakura must have had plenty of time to prepare before this duel began. It would figure...is it possible that the Facedown is something that could make me discard? _

A dark laugh escapes Bakura. "I wouldn't attack if I were you." He wags his finger tauntingly at Yugi. Yugi glares at Bakura in answer. Jonouchi shakes his fists at Bakura in anger, spouting out loud hotheaded threats. Yami glances over to the ranting Jonouchi, analyzing.

_Or maybe it'll destroy Jonouchi...I can't risk that...maybe my chance would be to summon a weaker monster to attack. It would lower my attack points, but I would be able to see what's under that card. _Deep in thought, he finally draws. Glancing down, he sees Nurse Reficule the Fallen One. _Dena's card…! I would hate to experiment with her, but I would feel a bit safer if she were on the field with Jonouchi. _

"I summon, Nurse Reficule the Fallen One! Come forth!"

* * *

Dena swore, that for a moment in time, that she didn't exist. That's what it felt like. Then she suddenly popped back into existence. Which is the weirdest thing that happened to her ever. She blinks back into consciousness, reality, and existence.

"Ugh...what in the flippity flop happened…?"

"Hiya there Dena!" Says a familiar, tough rugged voice.

"Jonouchi - whoa!" When she turns to him, she sees the blonde haired boy dressed up in a ridiculous costume of orange and blue. "Nice dress you got there."

He flushes red at the face, stomping his foot. "It's a _robe_ thank you very fucking much! And I would say the same for you!"

Dena scoffs. "What the heck do you - HOLY SHIT!" She screams, when looking at her attire. For one, she is covered, stop to toe, with freaking bandages, making her feel like she was in some sort of fetish costume. For two, there are a pair of freaking bat wings on her back. And for three, her very new dress is made of bandages, and it was as short as _fuck!_ Blushing, Dena crouches to the ground. "What the hell man, what the actual hell!" She sputters, at lost for words.

Jonouchi looks worriedly at her, scratching the back of his orange headdress. "Woah, you are taking this way harder than I did."

"Dena!" A familiar deep and dark voice rings out from above.

She glances up, and nearly shrieked another curse. Above her is a _motherfucking 20 feet tall Yugi._ "Oh my god, let this be a trippy dream for God's sake!" She mumbles, knocking her head with fists.

"Calm down Dena," Yugi says. Well, it isn't _quite_ Yugi. It's that person that took over Yugi...that person that she saw freaking Mind Assault Kaiba. This certainly doesn't help the situation.

"Lalalala, I'm not listening!" Dena cries out, plugging her ears tightly. Jonouchi swats them away, a disapproving frown on his face.

"You're seriously losing your shit right now Dena, keep it together!"

"Can someone offer _some_ valid explanation for this?!"

Yugi sighs, looking weary. "We are in a Shadow Game, Dena,"

"Load of bull, that's what I'll say," She interrupts instantaneously. Jonouchi knocks her upside on the head with his knuckles. "Ow!"

"Listen for once, will ya? Geez you are so bullheaded."

"Says you."

"Settle down, you two!" Says Yugi, or Dena would refer to as Scary As Hell Yugi, for short Scary Yugi, who looks exasperated at both Jonouchi's and Dena's shenanigens. "Dena, please take the time to calm down and listen. This is a life or death situation!" Dena's ears perk up at the mention of that, and her mouth is clamped shut this time. "You are trapped in the cards of your favorite monster along with the others, participating in a Shadow Game! If we lose, we all lose our very lives!"

"Okkaaayyy...you just turned the pressure on."

"I know this is hard to believe, but you must trust me on this!"

"Oh yeah? Why should I trust you?" The image of the vacant looking Kaiba flashes across Dena's mind. "You're just as crazy as the guy that put us in this situation!"

"Dena! What the heck?!" Jonouchi says in disbelief.

Bakura chortles from the side. "What drama is taking place here?" Dena turns briefly to his direction, jumping at his appearance. Then she shakes her head, turning back to Scary Yugi, as if to say, 'Eh, I give up.'

Hurt flashes across Scary Yugi's face, who didn't look so scary in that moment, but kinda soft and...human looking. Dena almost regretted saying that out loud, but Kaiba's empty eyes haunt the back of her mind. "Please...Dena, I'm begging you, you must trust me! I will do my best, no I swear to protect you and the others!"

Dena bites her bottom lip. "...Fine, whaddya want me to do?"

Relief flashes across Scary Yugi's - should Dena still call him scary? - face. He smiles down at her, nodding. "Thank you, Dena." Sounding pretty genuine.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Dena grumbles, not used to such mushiness.

"Alright - Dena, I want you to attack that facedown!"

"Uhhhh, but exactly how - HOLY CRAP ON A STICK!" Dena is practically knocked backwards when a bright light shoots out of her hands. The light travels at the speed of the bullet, towards the facedown card.

"Hahaha! How _ironic!_" Madly cackles Bakura.

Dena frowns, confused. She only met Bakura briefly, but she certainly didn't recall him to be _psycho crazy bonkers. _Jonouchi bristles, clearly unsettled as well. "What do you mean, Bakura?" Asks the voice of - eh, she'll just call him Bigger Yugi.

"Well, well. Let me show you myself." Bakura flips over the card - revealing the figure of Brooke. Dena gasps, startled. She is dresses in a pink dress, a white lacy scarf around her shoulders, and inky black wings behind her.

"B-Brooke!"

Brooke opens her eyes, dazed. "...Dena?"

"That's Brooke?" Dena hears Jonouchi whisper, somehow sounding in awe.

"Hey sister…" Dena whispers, shakingly reaching her hand out - however in a blink of an eye, the image of her older sister shatters in a bright light. Dena blinks, stunned. "Where is she?!" She looks back and forth between Jonouchi and Bigger Yugi. She looks desperately back to the spot where Brooke once stood, just for the shortest thirty seconds in her life. "What did you do to her?!" Dena yells accusingly at Bakura, every part of her body burning with range.

He chuckles, amused. "Oh, it's not something _I _did. It's something that _you_ did - you attacked your dear sister."

Hearing this, Dena feels coldness rush over her. That's right… Images of her sister in that pink dress on the field, her memories when they were back home, and the light shooting out of her hands, all flood her mind at once.

"...To be more precise, it's more of the Other Yugi's doing, if you think about it," Bakura continues. "Afterall, he _did_ order for you to attack. After you _did _place all your trust in him."

"Now wait just a second there!" Jonouchi shouts.

Dena spins to the direction of Bigger Yugi, hands clenched in fists. "I _knew_ I shouldn't have trusted you!"

"Dena, please!" He says, pleading.

"And thanks to Marie the Fallen One," Bakura continues, clearly enjoying the drama and tension arising between all three of the players, "a.k.a, _Brooke_ in the Graveyard, I will gain 200 points each of my turns."

She whips to his direction, face twisted in an unforgivable spite. "Joke's on you _bastard_, because the Nurse's special effect causes all forms of life gain for my opponent, converts into damage!"

Smirk. He smirks. "I figured some pesky Effect Monster would turn up. Trap Card activated!"

Before Dena could react once again, cold metal chains shoot out of the activated trap card, wrapping themselves around Dena. They tie around her wrists, ankles, and waists, now chained to the ground. She thrashes, kicks, punches, but the chains are unbreakable. She's trapped.

"Activate, Fiendish Chains. Now they stop your effect and you can't attack at all." Bakura explains, all the more with a sick smile on his face.

Hate burns in Dena's chest.

"Dena…please don't think this is Yugi's fault. It ain't. He didn't know."

"Yeah? Well, if I were him, I wouldn't make such stupid, reckless mistakes! What kind of person is he?! Making stupid moves that can risk our lives! I don't trust him! Not at all!" Dena spits out, on a roll. She then made a point to not look at either the hurtful, reapproachful eyes of Jonouchi or Bigger Yugi. She turns away from them. "You guy's don't freaking understand...Brooke's gone. I mean, is she gone forever? Like gone-gone? Or dead-gone? It's just...I'm alone. I'm alone in this crazy freaking world, and she was the only thing that was any sort of sense in this crazy mess. And she's _gone. _Holy shit, she's _gone."_

Jonouchi and Bigger Yugi are struck silent.

"...I'm so sorry, Dena. But...But I will find a way to bring your sister back. I have the card, but that means I have to leave Honda in the Grave."

Dena bites on her tongue to stop herself saying to save her sister instead. Even she knew saying something like _that _was too selfish to say.

"I swear, I will save all of us." Bigger Yugi says to Dena.

Bakura laughs loudly off to the side, wiping his eyes. "Oh, oh, oh. This is just all too good. You all are too much, do you know that? Well, do you end your turn, Yugi?"

"...I set one card and end turn."

"Hmph. About time you all got over yourselves. Thanks to Brooke in the Graveyard," His voice is laced with a taunting poison when he states that, as he sneers down at Dena's direction. She tries fighting off the chains once more, but they constrict her. "I gain 200 Life Points."

**Bakura: **_1500_

**Yugi: **_2000_

"I also activate my facedown, Tricolor Illusion." Dena quickly scans the description, and gasps in shock. She hangs her head, breaching the point where it's appropriate to give up. How in the world will they beat Bakura? There are too many damn tricks up his sleeve, not to mention that Dena's other friends' lives hang in the very balance. "From this point on, every card you draw, you must reveal to me! And also, all monsters you control can no longer attack!"

Dena couldn't help but gasp in shock along with Jonouchi and Bigger Yugi. "What the hell type of card is that?!" She whispers to herself.

"You gotta be kidding me! This is just no fair!" Jonouchi argues, waving his sword about.

"Tch. You didn't let me even finish explaining the effect. All powerful things have a weakness and can be destroyed in some way - Other Yugi can destroy this card, that is, if he is willing to take a chance to discard the top card of his deck. But you know what that means…"

"It's a gamble," Bigger Yugi speaks up, voice strained and heavy.

"You got that right! Afterall, Brooke and Honda are already in the Graveyard - you don't want anymore blood on your hands, do you?" laughs Bakura.

"He's right…" mutters Dena.

"Then...then what are we gonna do? How are we ever gonna beat this psycho?! Yugi?" Jonouchi turns to him for guidance.

"Looks like all of you are stuck in quite a predictament. Do you want to make yet another reckless mistake, Yugi? But if you do take the gamble, it's either you lose another one of your friends, or you lose the very card that can bring them back - Monster Reborn, of course! I'm no fool to think that you _won't _have it in your deck! The stakes are high, Yugi! It's only up to you!" Bakura crows, sounding triumphant.

"That bastard...he's holding Yugi hostage in choices!" Jonouchi growls.

"Hmph. Well, I place a Monster facedown and end my turn."

Dena hears Bigger Yugi making a move to draw. "I reveal my draw," He says rather warily.

Dena twists her head to look up at the card. _Exchange. _She can barely read the text, but did catch the words that the opponents exchange cards with each other, hence the name. Bakura glances at it. "A Magic Card. Since it's Magic, you may add that card to your hand."

"Okay." Dena hears Bigger Yugi take a deep breath. "I call forth, Dark Magician!"

A dark purple figure appears on the field, revealing it to be - Yugi? What the heck?! "How in the hell is that possible?" Dena questions, looking back and forth between Bigger Yugi and Original Yugi.

"Eh? There's two Yugis?" Jonouchi is clearly bamboozled, as he scratches his head trying to think of a possibility.

"Ah...I finally can meet you face to face," Yugi states to the Bigger One, eyes glazed in nostalgia.

Bigger Yugi nods back, much to Dena's curiosity. "That's right. I'm glad to finally see you too."

"Yugi, care to explain?"

"Well...this guy...he's always that voice in the back of my head, someone who is part of me. I think he comes from the Puzzle, ever since I solved it and put it on. Someone who guides me through tough challenges. That's why I placed my faith in him, for him to take over this duel and lead us to safety." explains Yugi, his expression thoughtful.

"I hoped you knew what you were doing," mumbles Dena, thinking about the loss of her sister.

Bigger Yugi sighs, sounding wistful and tired.

Jonouchi casts Dena a disapproving frown, then turns to pat Yugi on the back. "Glad to have ya here, friend. Lots of crazy shit happened while you were gone."

"I then set a Facedown and end turn." Bigger Yugi states.

_Should he take the gamble? _Dena ponders. The rational part of her screams yes - however memories of Miho, Yugi, Anzu, Honda, and Jonouchi flash in her mind. Surely, if this game is a life or death situation, she wouldn't want to risk any of their lives. She thinks back to Bigger Yugi, thinking of the burden placed upon him by fighting this duel. What should she think? Should she be easier on him? Dena bites her lip, knowing the answer. Boy was she a jerk! But of course, she couldn't bring herself to say it, in spite of her pride.

"I gain 200 Life Points, once again."

**Bakura: **_1700_

**Yugi: **_2000_

"And I summon Double Coston, in attack mode. With that, I end my turn. Well Yugi? Whatever will you do?" Bakura snickers. "You are literally a sitting duck. There are terrifying monsters that lie in my deck - monsters waiting to take your friends into the darkness."

"There's no need to be all dramatic about it!" Speaks up Dena, quite fed up with Bakura's mocking.

He glares down at her, to which Dena couldn't help but flinch at. "Once I get out the Genesis and the Dark Lords, I will go after you first, you _annoying_ girl."

Dena jumps. "Ugh...Oh, figure something out Bigger Yugi!" She says aloud. She flushes, realizing that the pleading and panicke words escaped her mouth.

"I will Dena." He answers, his voice promising and confident. Dena wanted to believe him. "Reveal, draw." Dena looks up once again, and widens her eyes to see the Magician of Faith.

"Anzu's favorite card!" Yugi exclaims, saying Dena's thoughts exactly.

"The more the merrier. Add that card to your hand, and put a monster to the top of your deck."

"Yes! Now the Other Me can destroy Tricolor Illusion because he knows what is lying at the top of his deck!" Yugi cheers, pumping a fist. Bakura's expression hardens, but it quickly smoothens down to calmness, much to Dena's suspicion. Not once she should think that they would ever feel safe in this duel.

"Exactly right. Now I discard the top of my deck, to destroy Tricolor Illusion!"

The card disappears in a shatter of pieces.

"Now I can attack again! Dark Magician, attack Double Coston!"

"Don't be too eager for bloodshed! You activated my facedown!"

"What?!"

A facedown card on Bakura's side of the field flips up, revealing a threatening picture of a fiendish looking wheel. "Say hello to the Nightmare Wheel!" A spiky looking wheel suddenly appears behind Yugi. Chains spring out of it, bounding Yugi to the wheel.

"Ah!" He struggles much like Dena did, to no avail.

"Once a monster declares an attack, I can target the attacking monster, and bind it with the Wheel! Now it cannot change battle position nor can it attack anymore! To add further damage, you lose 500 points each turn!"

"No!" Jonouchi cries out. He turns to Yugi, tugging at the chains. "Are you ok there, Yugi?"

"Y-Yeah…"

"That means…" Dena calculates the math. "...That we'll lose in four turns. Shit."

"Glad to see you're so good at numbers, Dena!"

Bigger Yugi, much to Dena's disbelief, looks a bit hopeless. "I...put a Monster facedown and end my turn."

**Bakura: **_1900_

**Yugi: **_2000_

"You may have gotten rid of Tricolor Illusion, but the dangers are not over yet! I flip my facedown, revealing Needle Worm! Now you must discard the top five cards of your deck to the Grave!"

Bigger Yugi flinches, and Dena with the other boys watch with anxiety, as he discards each card. Jonouchi suddenly yells out a 'No,' and Dena knew instantly why. Crystal Seer lies on the very top of the Graveyard pile. Miho's favorite card. She hangs her head, clenching her fist. Dena freaking wishes that she can burst out into a crazy screaming fit - because all of this was like the most frustrating math equation, or trying to read a whole book assigned to her from Language Arts class. This a problem that is impossible, a problem where Dena can find no way to solve it or deal with it, therefore it must mean that she's _bad _at what she's doing. Useless, useless and helpless she felt as she watched each tragedy and inconvenience happened to Bigger Yugi and the rest of her friends.

"What a shame, the girl couldn't even make it to the party! Oh well! I tribute Double Coston, and thanks to its effect it acts as a double tribute for the next horrible creature that will come into play - Vampire Lord!" Bakura slams a card on the table, and with a flash of light, a dark, looming figure appears on the field. A tall being with glowing red eyes and sickly pale purple skin, stares hungrily at Dena and the rest.

"Holy crap," Dena whispers, her shoulders sinking. "It has 2000 attack points…! No way!"

"That's right! So observant, I truly applaud you! And I know that facedown card that Yugi put down is the Magician of Faith, Anzu! Now my Lord of Darkness - attack his facedown!"

"Don't be too hasty!" Interrupts Bigger Yugi. "You revealed, Threatening Roar!"

Bakura's eyes instantly widens at this. "Gah! No!"

"That's right! You can no longer declare an attack for this turn!" An image of a lion appears on the field - and lets out the most, well, threatening roar that Dena would ever hear for a lifetime. The roar of the lion practically shook the whole table. Vampire Lord flinches, and screeches in pain, and instantly backs away, intimidated.

"Gah...a nuisance. I set a Monster and end my turn."

"Whew! Nice save back there Yugi!" Jonouchi compliments him.

"Ahh! Ouch!" Yugi hisses, breaking the mood of temporary triumph. He winces in pain, the chains looking as if growing tighter on him.

"Oh no! Yugi!"

"And don't forget," The white haired boy chimes in, face malicious. "My opponent here lose 500 Attack points!"

Bigger Yugi flinches in pain, as his Life Points drop by 500.

**Bakura:** _1900_

**Yugi:** _1500_

"Other Me, are you alright?!" Yugi calls out from below, worried for his partner.

Bigger Yugi simply raises a thumbs up, as he draws. "I activate, Monster Reborn! I bring Honda back from the Grave!"

Hurt rises to Dena's throat. She stares at the glowing figure of Honda, coming back into focus. She squeezes her eyes, her throat constricting and eyes burning for some reason. So this is how it is, then. Bigger Yugi is playing favorites. She knew it. She knew she couldn't have trusted him. Maybe if she were nicer, maybe if she didn't snap at him -

"Dena. Please don't take this the wrong way."

"Your actions tell me the freaking opposite! Just...why? How could you?" Jonouchi and the rest are staring at Dena, wide-eyed with worry after they were done welcoming back Honda.

"Dena."

Dena gives a loud sniff, shifting in her chains. They sure were starting to get uncomfortable. "What?"

"Trust me."

Dena stays silent, lips pursed.

"I flip summon, Magician of Faith!" A womanly figure appears out of the burst of light. "Thanks to her special effect, I can get a Magic Card from the Grave! And I choose Monster Reborn!"

Dena raises her head. Bigger Yugi got back the card?! She glances over to Anzu, who looks very confused as Little Yugi and the rest all wrap her in a bear hug. However, a chilling thought crosses Dena's mind. Now it's only between bringing back Miho or Brooke…

"I then activate, Mystical Space Typhoon! I use it to destroy Nightmare Wheel!"

Bakura's once smirking face distorts into a scowl, as a huge tornado sucks in the Trap Card of Nightmare Wheel. Dena sighs in relief, along with the others. Their life points are safe - for now.

"I put a card facedown and end my turn!"

Dena looks up, confused this time. He didn't bring neither of them back using Monster Reborn? What is Bigger Yugi planning? This time, she actually looks into his eyes. Those dark purple eyes accented with red look down at her, full of reassurance, and they briefly flit to one of the facedowns behind Dena and the rest. Frowning, Dena glances behind, eyeing one of them, the third face down. She looks back to Bigger Yugi, and he nods stiffly. Her eyes widen.

She nods back.

**Bakura: **_2100_

**Yugi:** _1500_

"Quite annoying that you removed Nightmare Wheel," Bakura says with a frown. "But a cowardly move for not choosing who to bring back," Bakura taunts Bigger Yugi, drawing. "No matter. I will now bring out my most fearsome and terrible card of my deck. I banish Vampire Lord - and bring forth a whole new terrifying, awesome monster! Vampire Genesis, come onto the field and bring bloodshed!" A dark lightning cracks on th0e field from particularly nowhere, revealing a behemoth, mammoth, monster sized, well, monster, with fierce threatening red eyes, as it comes into being.

Dena gasps with the rest, completely horrified. There standing in front of them, a monster giant with bat wings and muscles rippling all over its body, and hideous fangs protruding from its mouth, stands the Vampire Genesis. With the whooping amount of 3000 attack.

"Guys I hate to say this, but we're screwed." Honda points out obviously, breaking the terrified silence.

"Gahhh, shut your trap Honda!" Jonouchi yells, however sounding very nervous, as he gives Honda the noogie of his life.

Bakura laughs, sounding sure that he has won. "Now, to pick off Nurse Reficule of the Fallen One!"

Dena couldn't help but scream, seeing that huge, terrifying monster heading straight towards her.

"Stop right there! Trap Card, Negate Attack, is activated! Which immediately ends your Battle Phase!"

Dena breathes a loud sigh of relief, seeing the Genesis settle back to place, though its angry red eyes glaring at her. Bakura snarls, losing his composure for a moment. "You fool! You're only delaying the inevitable!" It melts back into indifference in a snap. Dena is in wonder of how fast Bakura could so quickly cover up his feelings and change his reactions. "Ah. Well, it's not like you have much more cards that can prevent any more attacks. Next turn, _it's over!_ I end my turn!"

The rest breathe out shakingly. Anzu looks over to Dena, and smiles, bewildered yet a bit scared. "You're a sight for sore eyes. Nice costume."

She manages a laugh. "Same for you. It really suits you actually," Dena's cheeks flush a bit when she says that to Anzu. In answer, Anzu smiles shyly at this compliment. To which Dena blushes even more fiercely. To cover it up, she lamely jokes. "What are we, the rejected Halloween costume collection?"

The whole group manages nervous laughter.

"Hahaha, oh god we're gonna die, aren't we?" Honda whimpers at the end. Jonouchi knocks him upside on the head, making the group laugh a bit more nervously once again.

"Don't worry, you guys." Says the voice of Bigger Yugi, reassuring and confident as ever. "We will find a way out of this, mark my words. I activate Monster Reborn!"

Dena's heart leaps in her chest, swiveling her head to look at the facedowns.

"I also activate the Trap Card, Spell Reclamation!"

"Tch!" Bakura sucks his teeth, his face in a distorted snarl.

"I only have to discard one of my own cards, so that I can chain Reclamation to Monster Reborn! So each time Monster Reborn is sent to the Grave, it will return to my hand."

"WOO-HOO! HELL YEAH BIGGER YUGI!" Dena couldn't help but scream out of excitement, pumping her fists in the air and jumping up and down, despite the chains that bind her.. Everyone instantly gives her a funny look, including Bakura, much to the absurdity of it. Dena was too pumped up and relieved to even care. However, realizing that even that evil bastard is shocked at her own ridiculousness, _then_ she felt embarrassed. "Uhm...yeah, you all didn't see anything. Carry on!"

Bigger Yugi releases a roiling laugh, the first time Dena ever heard from the Other Yugi. It is certainly surprising, yet a bit pleasant to hear. "You got that right, Dena. So I activate Monster Reborn to bring back Marie the Fallen One, to my side of the field."

Dena eagerly turns to the spot where it shines intensely. _First thing I see her, I'm going to full on freaking glomp her with gladness. Oh wait...can't I have the damn chains. I guess I'll yell with gladness?_

* * *

Brooke went to pretty crazy places today. First she was in the residence of Marie the Fallen One, and played Monopoly, Uno, and chess for whatever hours straight, and lost pretty much almost all of them (Marie: 71, Brooke: 7. Yeah, Marie counted for all of the games.), and Brooke is pretty sure that she doesn't want to play those games for a long time. Then she was in the Graveyard, running around scared out of her mind from Duel Monsters sent to the Grave there, then finding out they only wanted to play freaking Poker with her.

So yeah, pretty crazy day.

And she was just in the middle of finally winning her first game of poker, when rudely and abruptly pulled out of her Grave, and back on the playing field, where three towering genuinely scary looking monsters stand before her. She isn't very much surprised at that time, just somehow mildly surprised. _Oh gee, what now is going to -_

"BROOKE!"

Brooke flinches at the high pitched scream - however, it is a high pitched voice that she recognizes all too well. Turning to the direction of the voice. she gasps to see Dena, for the first time of what seem forever. It's the same old Dena - red glasses, unbrushed blonde hair - but strangely she's dressed up in a full outfit of bandages - aside from that, it's the same Dena. _That's right…! I saw Dena earlier, if not for the quickest moment! But then I got distracted when I got chased by those demented monsters!_ Brooke shudders at the memory.

Just recognzing that it was Dena, sends a wave of emotions over Brooke.

Confusion. _Why was she here? How did she end up here with me? The letter didn't mention Dena at all. _However, these thoughts were cast away with another emotion.

Happiness. _Dena. Dena is family. Dena's my sister. I'm not alone here._

Sadness. _But why does she have to be here?_

All these emotions welling up, Brooke finally runs to her younger sister, throwing her arms around Dena.

"Dena! Oh my god...just...oh my god!"

"Oh my god!" Dena repeats. "Erm, I would hug you, but I'm all chained up at the moment." Her sister admits sheepishly, glancing down at the metal chains binding her. Brooke gapes at them, a bit horrified. But Dena didn't really seem to care, flashing Brooke one of her old, familiar laid back smiles. "Okay, no more touchy touchy."

Brooke laughs in disbelief, at her old sister's usual eccentricities and antics, releasing her from her grip. "Nice to see you too."

"Man oh man, you must've been _crying _without me," Dena mocks, sticking out her tongue. She looks over to the other Yugioh characters, who looked a bit bewildered at the sisters' reunion, but glad at the same time. "Alright, friends meet sister, sister meet friends, okay, so nice to meet each other, ladelalala!"

Brooke smiles eagerly, seeing the familiar Yugioh cast, and recognizing Yugi, as well as he recognizing her.

"Brooke! Oh gee, I'm sorry you got dragged into this!" He says to her, smiling sheepishly.

"It's okay, I know for sure, everything will be fine in the end." Brooke nods back to him, as they walk over to each other for a friendly hug.

Jonouchi looks back and forth between the two. "You guys met before? Yugi, why didn't you tell?"

Yugi shrugs. "I only met her once, with Bakura, on their school shopping."

"Enough with the chattering and catching up," hisses the voice of Yami Bakura, Spirit of the Ring.

Brooke looks up, narrowing her eyes to see the towering Bakura. Seeing her look up to him, Bakura flashes a knowing smirk back at her.

"Very well," She hears Yami Yugi, Atem she would think to herself in private, says. "I activate, Swords of Revealing Light!"

"Gah…!"

Brooke couldn't help but silently cheer, while the others cheer loudly, at the more time bought to beat him and harbor his threatening monsters.

**Bakura: **_2100_

**Yugi: **_1500_

"I swear, you are all the most annoying bugs I am yet to squash." Bakura grumbles, drawing. "I tribute Needle Worm and Vampire Lady to summon another Vampire Lord! End turn!"

Atem draws. "I activate Monster Reborn, and bring back Crystal Seer." Miho appears on the field everyone welcoming her back, and quickly explaining to her the situation taking place. "I set card and end turn."

"I summon Ryu Kokki and leave it like that!"

"I activate Trap Dustshoot! Reveal your hand, Bakura!"

Bakura's face twists into even more anger, as he reveals his hand. Brooke scans his hand, and quickly recognizes one of the cards, Paths of Destiny. _I doubt he'll ever summon that,_ she thought to herself, thoughtful. Brooke watches Atem, as he picks a grotesque looking monster in Bakura's hand, and sending it back to his deck. "Hey sis," Dena suddenly whispers to Brooke out of the edge of her mouth. "Do ya think we have the chance of winning?"

"Definitely." Answers Brooke, instantly. _Even though it's not according to the anime or manga._

"...We're not in our world, or dimension or whatever you call it anymore, are we?" Dena mutters quietly to Brooke.

Brooke nods back. "Yeah."

"Aw gee. I have so many freaking questions I need to ask - but later."

"I end my turn." Atem announces.

Bakura draws. A grin flashes across his face. "I activate, Heavy Storm! Destroy all Magic and Traps on field!" Violent gusts of wind swirl around the wind.

"Oh no! That means the Swords are gone!" Anzu says, sounding fearful. The bright side of it was, if Brooke dared to ever say it, was that Dena is finally released from Fiendish Chains.

"Aw gee, I can't feel my wrists...and legs…" She mumbles, an exhausted smile on her face. Brooke lets her younger sister lean on her for support. But there comes the creeping alarm and threat, of the other towering monsters on Bakura's side of the field, ready to attack under their Master's command at any moment.

"That's right! Now to destroy all of you!" Bakura exclaims, smiling madly. "I activate Change of Heart! I will now take control of your Dark Magician!" Brooke's eyes widen, her hands flying up to her mouth. _That's Ryou's favorite card! Will...Will he appear on the field? _Hope raises in Brooke's chest, watching a figure come into being, as it materializes above the card. To Brooke's predictions and knowledge, Ryou appears, dressed in a robe, half black and white, angel and demon wings on either side.

Brooke had to admit, he looked _beautiful_, feeling it the proper adjective to describe his present appearance. Just thinking of this makes her nose red.

"Is that you - the real Bakura?!" Yugi calls out, looking very much surprised.

Ryou flutters open his eyes. It instantly bounces to life, at the alarm of seeing his friends in danger. "Ah...I see what's happening. And I refuse to let it happen. Not again." He looks up to Bakura, gaze hardened, a look that Brooke never saw on on the gentle white haired boy's face. "I am Ryou Bakura. I will not let you harm my friends." He declares in a quiet voice, yet it can be heard by everyone present.

Bakura's face turns red from rage, his eyes flashing dangerously. "You _dare_ defy me this way, boy?!"

Ryou says nothing, disappearing into the body of Vampire Lord, his face replacing the previous monstrous one. He looks up, fiercely to Bigger Yugi. "Please do what you have to do! Anything to stop _him_, don't ever hold yourself back!"

Brooke smiles to herself, her inner fangirl squealing at the famous line that Ryou used to stand up against the Spirit. However, this moment made her very nervous as well. Ryou is perfectly willing to save his friends - even if it meant _dying. _In both versions of the anime and manga, it showed his moment where he was most vulnerable, brave, noble, and suicidal. _Is...is this a sign, in the canon, that he wished to die?_ Brooke wondered, silent in her thoughts.

As for Atem, he looks genuinely surprised for a moment. Then, he nods, resolved and confident. Bakura is shaking in fury off to the side. "My turn!" Atem declares. "I activate, Brain Control! All I have to do is pay 800 Life points, at the price of choosing one of your monsters to temporarliy come under my control! And I choose Vampire Lord!" Ryou, looking a bit relieved for a moment, walks to their side of the field.

He goes next to Brooke, and hugs her first thing. Brooke instantaneously turns red at her nose, and awkwardly hugs him back at the last minute. Dena is oogling at them from the distance, and a huge grin. 'Who is this?' she mouths to Brooke, wiggling her eyebrows teasingly. Brooke internally groans. Dena is for sure going to bomrade her with a load of questions once this was all over. "It feels like a long time since we've seen each other," she laughs lightly, when they separate.

Ryou manages a smile, if not looking a tired. "It has. And I'm so so -"

Brooke quickly stops him by covering her hand on his mouth. "Hey...don't say that, ok? It's not your fault."

He stops in mid sentence. Then he smiles widely, in genuine gratitude. "_Thank you._"

**Bakura: **_2100_

**Yugi: **_700_

Bakura sneers, though rage is bright behind his eyes. "So what? Vampire Lord only has 2000 attack points, much lower in comparison to Vampire Genesis and Ryu Kokki. And none of your dear little friends are powerful enough to defeat them as well. Why are you making such fruitless attempts, and wasting so much time?"

"You'll see! I also activate Horn of the Unicorn and Butterfly Sword Elma, equipping it to Vampire Lord! Now his attack points are 3000!"

"Aw, hell yeah! Now Bakura can kick some serious ass!" Jonouchi cheers, roughly grabbing Honda by the scruff of his neck, and swinging him back and forth like a rag doll.

"Bakura! Attack Ryu Kokki!" Atem orders, voice determined and fierce.

Ryou makes a step forward, towards Ryu Kokki, but steps back into place. Brooke frowns, along with Dena, Yugi, and their friends. "Other Yugi...I know that you're trying to avoid the one definite possibility of how you can win. But it's the best and optimal option."

Brooke's eyes widen.

Atem stiffens up. "Bakura...no. Don't try to save all of us by paying the ultimate price!"

Ryou bristles, clearly not ready to step down. "If I attack Vampire Genesis, he will be destroyed!"

"But wouldn't you be destroyed as well?" calls out Miho, sounding on the verge of tears.

Ryou does not answer by continuing to say, "You can then have Yugi destroy Ryu Kokki, and that leaves His life points open for attack! It's a definite win!" Just as he's explaining this to the whole group, Bakura's face twists into an inhuman rage, as he listens to his Host's words.

"At the price of your life!" Atem shoots back, repeating himself, and slams his fist down.

"You gotta be kidding us, Bakura! Don't do anything _crazy!_ If this is gonna kill you, don't fucking do it!" Jonouchi raises his voice, raising a fist at Ryou. However, Brooke notices that it's shaking, shaking with hesitation.

Ryou smiles, but Brooke can see through it, seeing the sadness - but relief as well. "...I'm sorry, you all can't stop me." Just as Ryou is about to charge at Vampire Genesis, Brooke finds the strength to snap herself out of it, and grabs him from behind, like a backwards bear hug.

"No!"

He stops, from her grip, and demanding tone.

"No, no, no, no!" She repeats, yelling, squeezing him harder each time she cries that out. "I can't let you! I _won't _let you! Please, Ryou, please!" Brooke sobs, tears releasing from her eyes. She didn't even care that everyone was watching. "Don't do something so stupid and idiotic!" Well this certainly is a first, Brooke pretty much never called anyon_e stupid. _"There's a way. There's always a way. And you're just not seeing it Ryou! Just don't do it, and we're going to find a way! I'll absolutely hate it if we win, if it means you have to pay your life! You mean the world to all of us! You're our _friend_, Ryou! And we don't let friends hurt themselves! So just stop!"

Brooke collapses to the ground, still gripping Ryou's cape. All the tears are pouring down her face, uncontrollably. Her throat is dry, her head is spinning like crazy, and Brooke felt very heated at the face. She felt all sorts of uncomfortable. Everyone is quiet, watching the both of them. Never before had she felt this much in the spotlight.

Finally, movement was made on his part. She feels a hand grab her, lift her to her feet, then lead her back to Atem's side. All the way, she has her arm covered her eyes, afraid what to see.

"Okay Brooke. I believe in you."

And if Brooke can cry anymore harder, she pretty much did in that moment.

* * *

Well, Dena felt awkward at this emotionally tense scene. Yep. Pretty awkward indeed…

But, it is _touching. _And it's pretty cute to see such a painstakingly potentially cute couple together. Dena swears, the (real) Bakura, is like a male version of Brooke, and they would go _so fucking well_ together. The two finally walked back to their side, hand in hand. Dena couldn't help but laugh out loud from Bakura's disgusted expression after witnessing such a heartfelt scene between Brooke and Bakura.

Aside from Dena's skimming match making plans, all the while, she thought of all the possible ways to beat Bakura. For sure, Bigger Yugi can't overpower him with monsters. All the monsters he had were them, and Dena had to admit, most of them are pretty freaking weak.

So that means, they had to think outside the box. Dena just had to connect the dots…

'_There's a way. There's always a way.'_

Brooke's words ring out in Dena's mind. Her cards run over all of the cards she saw Bigger Atem ever had. For now, she knows that he has Monster Reborn and Exchange...as for Bakura, all Dena is aware was that he had a Trap card - Paths of Destiny, was it? Somehow, this kindles something in Dena's mind. _That card...it sounds so familiar..._Dena snaps her finger like crazy. A lightbulb flashes over her head. That's it! That's the answer!

"Hey! Er, hey, Bigger Yugi!" Dena calls out.

He looks down. "Yes?" Looking surprised that Dena seems to be calling out to him so willingly.

"It'd _suureeee_ be helpful if you can just, ya know, EXCHANGE cards with a person. Like you can get something totally better because you EXCHANGED something. It's almost like DESTINY demands for you to do it." _Way for the subtlety Dena. _She thought, shuddering under the suspicious gaze of Bakura, and recieving funny looks from the others.

Even Bigger Yugi gives Dena a funny look, if not a bemused smile. "Uhm...yes, that would be indeed useful?" His gaze falls on his cards in hand.

_Oh, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, figure it out you fantastic stranger!_

His eyes widen in revelation. He nods faster, his gaze piercing Dena. "Yes...very useful indeed!" He turns sharply to Bakura, who looked very irritated at the group's antics at this point. "I activate, Exchange! We'll reveal our hands, and choose one card that we want from the other!"

Bakura's eyes narrow. He reveals his hand, showing Snatch and Steal, Reckless Greed, Magic Jammer, Despair From the Dark...and lo and behold, Paths of Destiny!

Bakura make a move to choose Monster Reborn out of Bigger Yugi's hand, given that it's the only other card left besides Magical Hats. Dena watches Bigger Yugi carefully, as he makes a move - for Snatch and Steal?!

"DESTINY does not allow it! Because there are freaking PATHS. You know. Ehhhh?"

Bigger Yugi makes another funny face. "But…"

"Come on," Dena whispers. "Trust me."

Bigger Yugi freezes. Then, he smiles, nodding. "Alright."And takes Paths of Destiny. Bakura glares at both of them, mistrustful. _Oh, you better be scared buddy boy. _"I set two cards, and end my turn."

"About time," Bakura grumbles. "Now to rid your infernal monsters. Vampire Genesis - incur your wrath upon the Dark Magician!"

"Hold it!"

Top hats with question marks suddenly appear on field, one covering Yugi, then switching around at the speed of light.

"Aw cool, a magic trick!" Honda jokingly comments.

"What?! I should've gotten that card when I had the damn chance." Bakura snarls, enraged.

"Take your pick." Bigger Yugi smirks for the first time, waving his arm.

Dena pumps a fist, high fiving Jonouchi who's nearby, and quickly hugging her sister. "Nice thinking, Bigger Yugi!"

"Gahhh!" Bakura lets out a short yell. "Genesis, attack the far left on!"

In a mist of smoke and dark light, the hat disappears - no Yugi inside.

"He always was good at hide and seek." Anzu laughs, half joking.

Bakura growls. "I will not waste anymore time on him - Ryu Kokki, attack Nurse of Reconficule the Fallen One!"

Dena flinches, seeing the huge, bony like monster charging towards her. But somehow she doesn't scream, strangely under the impression that she won't get hurt.

"Activate, Changing Destiny! I negate the attack of your monster, and you are presented with these two effects! Let me gain half of Genesis's Attack Points, or you lose the half of his attack points."

Dena breathes in relief. So she was right. She looks over to Bigger Yugi, flashing a thankful smile. He smiles back, giving a thumbs up.

Teeth clenched, Bakura manages to say, "I much rather lose those points."

Bigger Yugi cracks a smile. "Very well then"

**Bakura: **_600_

**Yugi: **_700_

"My turn! It's all over for you, Bakura! Reveal facedown, Paths of Destiny."

"Be ready for this, Brooke," Dena quickly whispers to Brooke. "This duel might end in a draw, and if not, Bigger Yugi is gonna win for sure." Brooke's eyes light up with hope when Dena states this.

"I hope it's a draw." She mutters to Dena.

Dena frowns. "I'd much rather see that psycho person that looks like Bakura lose the duel." She says ruefully.

Brooke does not answer, going quiet.

"A mere flip of a coin, shall determine the fate of what is in store for me." A coin materializes on the field, and flips into the air. All eyes are trained on it, wondering what the outcome of it will be. Slowly, slowly, slowly, its clatters on the table, and rolls to a stop.

Tails.

**Bakura: **_600_

**Yugi:** _0_

"You _fool!_" Bakura crows. "You lose the duel because it landed on tails! Your life points drop to zero! Now say goodbye to your Puzzle and your friends!"

Everyone else gasps in shock and horror.

Dena and Brooke glance to each other knowingly.

"Hasty, aren't you Bakura?" Dena calls out, feeling particularly plucky. "Did you not forget my special effect? Paths of Destiny requires for you to flip a coin as well - but it doesn't matter for you, because no matter which side it lands on, you lose Life Points! Therefore, this duel ends in a draw! Both Life Points drop to zero!"

**Bakura: **_0_

**Yugi:** _0_

Bakura freezes up. However, confusion takes over his features. "Well this is quite the unexpected turn. This is a _draw._"

"So you let all of us go," speaks up Brooke, much to Dena's surprise. "And we let you go too. We leave this duel with nobody hurt, and everyone parting ways peacefully."

Bakura stares down at Brooke, looking quite unimpressed at her offer. Finally, he says, "I certainly don't want to do any bloody re-match." With an intense glow of his Ring, everything goes blank for Dena.

* * *

**A/N: Holy crap. Holy crap. THIS CHAPTER IS SO LONG. Like, 30 pages long. I hope it wasn't so much for you readers to take in. Some notes. You may notice that as the perspectives shift, Yugi and Yami Yugi are referred to differently by each character. When it was Yami Yugi's perspective, I kept on calling him 'Yugi' given that I am following the Manga canon. In the manga, both Yugis still thought that they were the same person. So yeah. **

**Writing this hell of a chapter was exhausting, and I hope you folks see my effort! Reviews are appreciated! And I'll see you next chapter!**


	10. Predictions and Explanations?

**A/N: I'm up and back! **

AlexistheEliatrope:

**Thank you for noticing! *takes cookie***

xxkari23xx:

**Thank you very much for giving my story a chance and taking the time to read and review it! I hope you will be able to read more chapters!**

Shadowclanwarrior:

**Luckily having experience in playing Duel Monsters itself, and researching a lot of deck types (can you believe it, I actually used REAL cards in the last chapter XD), the chapter was sorta easy to write. I mean, not easy, but you know what I mean. Compared to the old version of A Manga to Reality, I thought Duel Monsters was a complicated game. (Which is kinda true) XD**

Gozekuu:

**Woo-hoo, you're back! Omniscent 3rd POV has its many advantages! :D Honestly, I'm having WAY too much fun using it. (I always have too much fun when I write Yami Bakura's POV XD) There's more character development where that came from, know what I'm sayin? (Also, I'm going to give the canon side characters, Anzu/Miho/Jonouchi/Honda their share of development X3) Aw yeah, there is a plot alright. Layers upon layers of complicated plot. XD**

**As for the matters of Anzu, yeah, I thought it would be pretty cool if I make her have a strong friendship (maybe even a romantic love interest coughcough) for my OCs, cuz I was not so pleased by the bashing of her character. She's not bad for a character! I'm glad you're noticing that I'm mashing the Manga/Anime verses of Yugioh together - it's something I'm using for my advaantage. ;D Thank you once again for reviewing!**

* * *

**~Chapter Ten~**

_**Brooke. Hey. Hey. Hey. you still there? u alive? wait scratch the last part, of course ur alive. (i hope to god u are cuz i am FREAKING OUT over here.) Brooke. Brooke. YOU STILL UP or something?! **_\- 8:16 p.m

Dena stares at the illuminating screen of the phone that Mokuba was so kind for her to borrow. It wasn't no iPhone, in fact, it was a flip phone, with _actual buttons_ (which Dena found more convenient), but then again, Dena figured that the company Apple wouldn't exist in the world of Yu-Gi-Oh. Impatiently, she taps on the screen, as if hoping that poking it would make Brooke answer. _4 minutes to answer a text, come on now Brooke!_ Dena thought sourly. To pass the time to wait for her sister's reply, Dena scrolls up to re-read their past conversation.

_**k got phone from Mokuba, u there?**_ \- 7: 49 p.m

_Yeah, I'm here_ 7:49 p.m

_**so, so, so...where to start? I have so much questions. l**__**ike we're in some children's TV show, am I right? **_\- 7:50 p.m

_Not just ANY children's TV show! It's called 'anime' :) _\- 7:50 p.m

_**Tomato, toh-mato, it all sounds the same. So, we are here...Do you remember anything after our…u know, fight?**_ \- 7:51 p.m

_It's all in the past. _\- 7:53 p.m

_**dude, u took 2 minutes to answer. 2 WHOLE MINUTES. Not to mention u used a period at the end of ur tex. Bruh, i kno that our fight is bothering u, dont lie. tbh Brooke, the bullshit I spouted out to you would make ANY person pissed off. U sure u wanna drop this?**_ \- 7:53 p.m

_Yeah, yeah, I'm sure. Do YOU remember anything after our fight? _\- 7:54 p.m

_**(-3-) ur dropping the subject grrrrr but whatever whatevs then. erm, no not really i dont remember jack. is that bad? **_\- 7:55 p.m

_I'm not really sure what to make out of it...you have any clues as to how we got here? _\- 7:55 p.m

_**uhm well no no dice. **_\- 7:58 p.m

_Hey, now YOU took THREE minutes to answer me, Adena Kemp. AND you used a period at the end of your text. Are YOU sure that nothing's up? :(_ \- 7: 58 p.m

_**nah nah, it's all good. anyway, are u sure u wanna stay over there with Bakura? sis, I DONT TRUST HIM. repeat, I NO TRUST HIM. u can always come over here to Kaiba mansion, mokuba-kid may allow it. cuz frankly, even though it wasn't Bakura that was the psycho that sealed our souls or whatevs, he still has that freaky Ring doesn't he? **_\- 8:00 p.m

_It's ok, you can trust him Dena, there's no need to freak out about it. ;) But in all honestly, I want you to trust me on this. I think I have a clue Dena, a clue that MAYBE something that hints us on why we're here. It's ok, there's no need to be suspicious of Bakura. If the Spirit of the Ring shows up again, I can deal with him, ok? ;D_ \- 8:05 p.m

_**idk man idk, that guy who lives in the Ring or whatever is PSYCHO CRAZY BONKERS. u sure u can deal with him? i mean, i kno that u know the world of yugioh like the back of your hand, but we're in the ACTUAL SITUATION. and we have no idea how these characters could react, cuz we're in here disrupting the balance or whatevs. know what im sayin? **_\- 8: 07 p.m

_**uhm sis? **_\- 8: 10 p.m

_**talk 2me **_\- 8:11 p.m

_**Brooke, u freaking me out, cuz we were just talking about the ring and jack, and then youre not answering me IS HE HURTING U BRUH**_ \- 8:13 p.m

_**ANSWER ME DAMNIT!**_ \- 8:15 p.m

Dena feels a sigh rush out of her, when she scrolls down to the very last message she sent to Brooke. She looks at the time, seeing that it is 8:27 already. Tugging at a handful of hair, Dena mumbles to herself, "Damnit, Brooke. Damnit." She thought back after she, Brooke, and their friends all woke up after Bakura, or the Spirit of the Ring, released them from the 'Shadow Game' that they were in.

Being restored back to her familiar, old, sweet ol' physical body, Dena practically jumped Bakura to rip off the Ring off his neck. Of course, her sister was there to hold her back, but one can never be too sure. Bigger Yugi, (well in reality, he isn't SO TALL. Dena is a couple inches taller than him, and that is saying something), from now on Dena will refer to him as Other Yugi, questioned Bakura, and Bakura only reassured the all of them that the Ring seems empty of the malicious Spirit's presence.

Honest to God, Bakura seem like a really nice kid, to Dena. But she couldn't help but secretly call bullshit on that excuse to the Other Yugi. Of course, the rest were pretty wary of Bakura's excuse to them, however they had to let it go. The all of them had school tomorrow, afterall, and after such a crazy day of having to deal with Death-T AND a crazy axe murderer spirit that resides in an artifact, all were too tired to ponder on the situation anymore.

Bakura is a nice kid indeed - but Dena couldn't stop herself from flipping out at the fact that Brooke lived with him. Oh, she put up a fight with her sister, trying to insist as subtlety as possible come with her. Of course, after knowing Brooke for all of her life, despite having the appearance of being a timid and quiet girl, she could be _really damn stubbourn_ when she puts her heart to it.

_Crush/love interest 100% confirmed. _Dena thought, smirking, when thinking back to her time before she left Bakura's apartment.

So, Dena had to give up, but not without leaving without making Brooke promise to stay up all night with her texting.

The phone clutched in her hand vibrates.

Dena jumps into action, opening the text.

_Sorry, sorry. Bakura dozed off on the couch, but then he had a nightmare...had to wake him up and had a talk with him. Sorry that I didn't answer._ \- 8:31 p.m

Dena paused upon reading the text, taking a moment to straighten her glasses and bite the bottom of her lip. Hearing from her sister that she went to comfort Bakura from a nightmare, she couldn't help but feel, well, _bad. _And Dena could easily deduct what Bakura was having a nightmare from.

_**no no dont say sorry. dont mind me asking but what was he having a nightmare about?**_ \- 8: 32 p.m

_...Well, I think you can easily guess what he was having them about. The Spirit of the Ring… _\- 8:32 p.m

_**gee, i feel kinda bad for being suspicious of him now. it must be rough and tough for him. **_\- 8:33 p.m

_It is._ \- 8:34 p.m

Feeling awkward, Dena knew that she had to change the subject.

_**uhm k, dont mind me changing the subject, but what was that clue u were talking about earlier? the clue that u brought up about how we were able to get here, to the yugioh world? **_\- 8: 35 p.m

Drumming her fingers on the phone, Dena considered telling Brooke that she had a letter explaining pretty much everything as to how they were transported into some anime. Maybe the 'why' factor isn't quite clear, but the 'how' factor certainly is. However, Dena reconsiders telling her sister this fact over the phone. Afterall, it would be better if the both of them just read and see it together.

The phone vibrates.

_Oh yeah, that. I don't think I should bring it up now. It would be better if we talk about this stuff when we're in person. _\- 8:37 p.m

Dena finds herself nodding to the text. Then, she is interrupted with a huge yawn. Tears squeezing out at the corner of her eyes, Dena fans her face, leaning her face against the cool pillows. Suddenly, the idea of sleep becomes very appealing to Dena. Quickly, she texts her reply back to Brooke.

_**yah, this stuff is pretty deep and complicated to talk over the phone. i think i'm gonna have to raincheck that all nighter. i feel pretty drained out after today. any more warnings for me Brooke? are there more things we should be ready for, if this world is following the anime or whatever? i mean, i have a HUGE disadvantage given i kno nothing about yugioh. **_\- 8: 39 p.m

Dena had to wait a few minutes for her sister to reply, until a huge block of text comes back from Brooke.

_There are ALOT of stuff coming up, believe me. There's going to be a new villain appearing, though I don't know WHEN he's gonna show up...his name is Pegasus, the creator of Duel Monsters. And he's gonna stir up a whole lot of trouble...just to warn you, Dena, Pegasus is going to send some of his people to Kaiba Mansion to break into the place._

Dena feels instantly awake when she reads this part of the message. Anxiety rising, Dena scrolls down the rest of the text.

_As a result, Pegasus's men are going to end up kidnapping Mokuba. Not to mention, Pegasus owns a Millennium Item, so he's going to also steal Grandpa's soul and use it against Yugi so that he and all his friends can go to Duelist Kingdom to get it back. So keep a sharp eye out. _\- 8:44 p.m

"That ain't good…" She mutters to herself, biting on her tongue. Protectiveness rises with her maternal instincts, when thinking back to Mokuba. _Kidnapped by some creep? I can't let that happen! _Once she finishes reading the message, dozens of more questions multiply in her mind, and she instantly lets her thumbs fly on the buttons to text back Brooke.

_**here we go again. is there anything i can do to stop it? to stop Mokuba's kidnapping? and whaddya mean Pegasus has a mil. Item? like those artifacts that Yugi/Bakura have? is he dangerous? i mean, that's pretty rhetorical, if he's capable of stealing Grandpa's soul like Bakura did to us...what should we do, sis? is there anything we can do to stop this? and what's this duelist kingdom you're talking about? **_\- 8:46 p.m

Impatiently, Dena stares straight at the phone screen, awaiting her sister's answer.

The phone vibrates.

_I know you have a lot of questions on your mind, and it's alot to take in, I know. I promise when we meet face to face, I'll explain everything to you. How about we meet tomorrow? Around 3:00-ish, afterschool time, maybe?_ \- 8:48 p.m

_**yah, yah sure. hey u think we can go this cafe? it serves pretty great cake, and i can treat you. here's the address: 1234 Main Street. it's near this weird costume store, ya cant miss it. **_\- 8:50 p.m

Before Dena could make herself re-read the text, she sent it. Instantly, she flushes at the face. Just _why_ would she propose that?! She was perfectly aware that Anzu worked there, especially at afterschool times. Not to mention, Dena always acted and felt so damn _weird_ whenever she was around Anzu. And additionally always itchy for some reason. Dena repeatedly slaps herself, repeating 'stupid' under her breath.

_Ok, cool, then it's set. I'll see you then, and all will be revealed. G'night. ;3 _-8:51 p.m

_**kk a g'night to you soul sister **_\- 8:51 p.m

With that, Dena closes the phone, placing it carelessly on the bedside table, and sprawls herself out on the bed. Before allowing herself to drift off to slumber, the memory of her letter flashes in Dena's mind. Thinking of this sends Dena sitting up. _Before I go to bed, I should probably read the rest of that letter before I finish it off for the day. Afterall, it's pretty much confirmed that Brooke and I are FAR, FAR away from home. _Feeling her pockets, Dena takes out the two envelopes, and opens the one where her older self demanded for her not to read unless she finds Brooke. Breathing out, Dena opens the letter, relieved not to find anymore snarky messages from her future self. After turning on the bedside lamp, Dena straightens her glasses, and proceeds to read.

_Younger Me,_

_So I see that you finally found Brooke. Great! Now we can get down to the dirty stuff. Wow that sounds weird...but to get more serious and darker, yeah, you must be wondering as to how in the hell you ended up in the Yu-Gi-Oh dimension. I already explained as to how Brooke got there, with 'Leaping Through Dimensions' and whatnot, and the matters of the past, present, and future. But as to how YOU got to where you are, and why I sent you there, that I will explain._

_However, the information I'm going to reveal to you if really shocking, and I'd understand if you don't believe it, because I'm already asking you to believe in the fact that you're in some children's show - ahem, anime as Brooke would correct me. _

_I traveled back in time, or should I say, traveled to another parallel world, persay, another version of my past, which happened to be yours. How you ask? Simple, in the future, I invented what everyone would call 'time traveling' even though that isn't REALLY the case. _

Dena took a moment to make a low whistle. She grins to herself whispering, "I always knew I was destined for awesomeness."

_Knowing me, your head is going to get awfully big from finding out this information. Don't let it get all to your head kid - I only got to where I am today because I WORKED for it._

"Aw screw off!" Dena mumbles, frowning at the letter. She took a moment to pause, thinking, _Did I really just tell my future self to screw off? Well I reached whole new levels of mind fuckery. _

_But I'm not lying about the fact I accomplished great things in my parallel world. But I wouldn't say I have such a great sister, mother, or person all in all...Anyway, aside from getting off track, yes, I technically traveled from the future to go back in the past (even though this is not the case) with the help of incredibly advanced technology. This was inspired from the phenomenon of leaping._

_Leaping is an extraordinary event that occurs in a 'near death experience.' Y'know, those moments when you're about to die and all, but not quite? Yeah, if a person almost dies in just the right conditions, where portals are opened to hell, any other dimension at the right day, the person will travel to another dimension. That's what happens in those accidents with people. Remember on the news where in some type of freak accident, the person's body is never found? That was because they travelled to another dimension, persay, "leaped" into one. _

_However, dimension leaping isn't always guranteed to work, and there is a 90% chance of death of any fool that tries to leap. Like I said, the conditions have to be right. _

_I believe that on the day of September 23, 2007, Brooke had a near death experience which lead her to leaping through dimensions. It all started after that damn fight we had with Brooke...you remember, don't you? _

Dena freezes up. Brooke almost _died_ after they fought?

_When Brooke almost got ran over the train, luckily, she leaped through a portal that lead her to another dimension. It's very ironic. Did you know September 23rd is the day where the season, fall, begins? Get it? Fall? As in she falls into another portal? Hahaha! Ahem - As for the matters of you, younger me...I had to put you in a near death experience as well. Back in your dimension, I pushed you off that tower. It was a gamble - I highly regret to say, there were even times I failed._

Her world stops. Dena drops the letter, shakily backing away from it.

'_There were even times I failed.'_

This echoes in Dena's mind like crazy. _Whoa, whoa...what she meant by fail...she couldn't possibly mean…_ Connecting the dots instantly, Dena gasps, gripping a nearby pillow, staring at the letter that is a foot away from her. _There are other parallel worlds where Dena Kemp is dead. Murdered. By _me. _Fucking future me. Holy shit. _"No, no, no, no…!"

_Of course, failure is part of life, isn't it? Isn't it?_

Shakily, Dena reads these words, her breathing speeding up, and beads of sweat forming at her forehead. _Crazy. Fucking crazy. She's crazy. Like, gone off her rocker. _Dena shakes even more. _But she's _me. _I'm _her. _We're the same person…_

_But all that matters is that I suceeded, and that you're there to save Brooke. Maybe you'll become a better person than the woman that I became today. It doesn't really matter anyway. I used the last of my technology on traveling to your parallel word. Do you know how many times I used it? Seven. Haha. They say that's the lucky number. However that's the limit of the time traveling device. And I'm afraid that I pushed it. After using the last of its energy by travelling to your parallel world, I'm permanently stuck here. But that's no matter._

_I don't want to go back anyway._

_Back to the subject at hand, I suceeded in sending you to another dimension with Brooke. You're not really meant to be there in the first place, hence my version of my past, but I managed to make it happen. However, here's the main reason why I sent you to the past. Ten years into the future…_

_Brooke is dead._

"No!" Dena yells, throwing the letter across the room. The pages flutter to the floor, one by one like leaves. "Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit…" Dena mutters, high strung, no longer wanting to go to bed. Shakily, she reaches for the phone, and quickly texts her sister.

_**You up? Please tell me you're up. Brooke please. **_\- 9:19 p.m

Dena grips onto the phone as if its a lifeline.

The silence of Dena's surroundings is deafening. Completely empty of her parents' classical music that they would play in the house when working on late projects, Cargan practicing the piano in his bedroom, or Brooke playing some weird Japanese music in her room. Her surroundings are absence of what is supposed to be _home. _"C'mon, c'mon, answer me!" Dena shakes the phone, sweaty at the palms. Clutching her head, she tugs at handfuls of hair. "Why, why of all people did this happen to us? Why did we, why did Brooke have to come here in the first place? Why…?"

The phone vibrates, finally.

_Yeah? What's the matter? You're using proper grammar and spelling in your text. That seriously scares me. D: But really, what's the matter Dena? _\- 9:22 p.m

Some weird burning sensation chokes up in Dena's throat, and her eyes feel suddenly wet. Finally, Dena manages to croak out, "Good ol Brooke. Always there for me." Despair strikes Dena.

The prediction of the letter haunts her.

* * *

_**Nah, nah, it's ok. I just wanted to check on, hahahaha. g'night sister sister.**_ \- 9:25 p.m

Brooke frowns at Dena's silly answer, rubbing her eyes. _I woke up for that?_ Brooke thought, shaking her head with a mindless smile. She texts back, _Haha, way to interrupt my beauty sleep. :p I hope that there's nothing wrong with you. Good night. _\- 9:26 p.m

_**night, night, dont let them bedbugs bite. or should i say dont let the spirit of the ring bite. wait that sounds way too weird and kinky. eh, good night p;p;p**_ \- 9:27 p.m

Brooke laughs reading Dena's reply, and puts her phone away. Nostalgia is oddly resonant and strong with her tonight. _I suppose having Dena with me in the Yu-Gi-Oh world is like having a piece of home with me. I don't need to face all of this alone. _Her thoughts trail off to the letter. Brooke feels her wide smile melt into a frown. _But...the letter had no mentions of Dena traveling with me to this place...how can this be?_ This occurring to her mind, Brooke sits up, a sense of curiosity and unease rising in her.

_I wish that she wasn't with me though._

She jumps in surprise when this statement formed in her mind. Brooke puts a hand on her heart, at shocks as to why her subconscious would conjure this up. Of course she's glad that her little sister was here with her! Wasn't she…?

"_Dena, you had no idea what you have done! No absolute idea! You RUINED my chances to go to Spellman Highschool!"_

"_It's no big deal, our parents can pay for it! Why are you being such a baby about this, you should be HAPPY for me!"_

"_No! No! I'm sick of you being my sister if you're always going to be better at everything!"_

Brooke snaps back into reality, getting too deep into the memory. Shiverring slightly Brooke silently scolds herself. _Why are you thinking such dark thoughts? It's all behind now. You and your sister are together in the Yu-Gi-Oh world._

_Well, it's obvious isn't it? I'm afraid that she'll just overshadow me again. _Another voice echoes in the girl's head. The insecure, ugly part of Brooke, that frankly fills her head with its opinions too much. Brooke bites her lip, and opens her mouth, as if to argue with her thoughts. Then she closes it, hanging her head in shame, knowing that deep in her heart this was the ugly, ugly truth.

_Am I a bad sister for thinking this? _Brooke thought, feeling tears of shame welt up in her eyes.

Quickly, she recollects herself, remembering the letter. _Maybe...maybe the letter has answers. I haven't read it for awhile. _Regaining her composure, Brooke crawls over to her purse on the bedside table, and rummages through its contents to take out the letter. Taking a deep breath, Brooke takes out a page, thumbing to today's date. Brooke carefully reads through the letter, forming a summarization of the entry in her head. The events were pretty much the same as what happened today, except for the fact that Brooke didn't lose her soul and all.

The events of Ryou staying home from school and acting very offput, Brooke and Ryou witnessing the events of Death-T on TV...not much happened that day. Yawning, Brooke reads the next entry.

_September 28th_

_Today is the day where Yami Bakura finally made his move and challenged Yugi and the gang to his Shadow RPG. This occurs by the end of the day, given that Yami Bakura under the guise of Ryou tricked Yugi and the rest to come over to his place to play the game with him. I don't think there's a lot you can do, given that you have to play along with it. After they finish the game, make sure to do your best to comfort Ryou. He shut himself in his room after everyone left the apartment. I myself, was too afraid and thought it best to leave him alone. _

_Aside from that, today is also the day when you fell in love with Ryou. How? Well, I won't tell you how. I'll just leave that all up for you to find out._

Brooke blinks, then rubs her eyes, and re-reads the page to make sure she read it right. Once her eyes confirm this fact, Brooke shakes her head, setting it down, and rubs her temples. _Did the letter actually say that I'm going to fall in love with Ryou? That's...that's so weird! And silly! _Brooke feels herself heated up at the nose, and grabs her arms, curling her knees up to her chest. _Absolutely silly._

Shaking the wondering thoughts off her head, Brooke gazes out the window, seeing the clear night sky. _I hope that I didn't ruin the events too much...and the letter hasn't clued me in at all as to how I got here in the Yu-Gi-Oh world, and made no indication of Dena ever coming with me. Is it merely a coincidence? Oh I can't tell. _Brooke sinks into the pillow, sleepiness taking over her mind.

_When tomorrow comes, maybe the answers will come…_

* * *

"Are you sure you want to come to school today?" Brooke cautiously asks Ryou, watching him button up his school uniform.

He smiles at her, though it's clear from his looks that he didn't get a good night's sleep. Bags are under his eyes, skin paler than usual, and his white hair more spiky and unruly than usual, Ryou didn't look so well rested. "It's alright Brooke. Afterall, our friends would be worried if I don't show up today. I'll be fine, I promise." Suddenly, he makes a move to hug her.

Brooke feels herself stiffen up, feeling extremely awkward at his sudden show of affection. _'Today is also the day when you fall in love with Ryou.'_ The letter's words echo in Brooke's mind, at the absolutely wrong moment. She couldn't help but squirm out of his hug out of discomfort and embarrassment at remembering this, and quickly feels shame sink her shoulders. However, Ryou doesn't seem to notice, as he lets out another huge yawn, and he picks up his school bag.

"U-uhm, wait, may I walk with you to school? I mean, it'd be nice if I could probably see Yugi and the rest…" Brooke shyly asks, looking off to the side. She hoped to dear God above that Ryou wouldn't see how red her nose is, and acts like she brushes her hair away to avoid directly facing Ryou.

A friendly smile takes up his face, and he nods, welcoming her proposal. "Sure! Oh yeah, remember those old shoes I mentioned earlier? You can have them." Ryou says, disappearing into his room for a moment, and reappearing with a black pair of shoes.

"Oh! Thank you!" Brooke says, smiling gratefully at him, taking the shoes. Momentarily she glances at her old pair in the small hallway, worried that they were starting to look worn out already. Afterall, they are only a pair of sandals… "I think I'll walk in these for today, to try for size." Brooke smiles to Ryou, slipping them on. She cringes a bit, given that there doesn't seem to be enough room in the shoes, even though she isn't wearing socks, for her toes to completely stretch out. However, Brooke easily covers her discomfort, and follows Ryou out the door without a complaint.

* * *

_Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. OUCH, I think that the back of this shoe digged into my heel...I wish that I worn socks…_ Brooke thought to herself, in pain, as she walks down the sidewalk with Ryou. "Bakura, erm, how longer until we arrive at Domino?"

"I just think maybe around ten more minutes, and we'll be there. I always start off my days with a good, long walk."

"Y-Yeah, that's good excercise," Brooke shakily smiles to Ryou all the while gritting her teeth in discomfort.

The two walk for a couple of more minutes, in silence under the clear sunny sky. Desperate to keep her mind off the pain of the tight shoes, Brooke says to Ryou, "I sorta wish that I can go to school with you and the rest. I mean, who knows how long I'll be here in this world."

"Oh! I sort of wished that too!" Ryou smiles to Brooke in agreement to which she feels once again warm at the nose. "You know, since you have no parental guardians, I can get my grandma to fill out the applications and sign them for you so that you can transfer to Domino."

"Really?" Curiosity arises in Brooke at Ryou mentioning his grandma. _He has a grandma? Funny, I never heard that from the manga or the anime. But it would be so interesting to discover and get to know Ryou more._ "I didn't know you have one! How come she doesn't live with you?"

Ryou's smile fades away, his eyes averting. "She's at a home, where people can take care of her. Father out her there." Ryou's tone is now absent of any warmth in it, when it comes to the subject of his father, Brooke notices to her discomfort. In fact, there seems to be a certain _indifference_ that Ryou held against him. Brooke just wondered what was his relationship with his parents. The canon of Yu-Gi-Oh was not quite clear of Ryou's past.

"So I see. Is she alright?"

"Yes, yes she is. In fact, I was thinking about visiting her tomorrow, afterschool. Do you want to come with me?"

"Oh, of course I would like to pay a visit! Maybe I can bake her something?"

Ryou laughs, though looking touched at the fact that Brooke offers this, from the genuine smile he flashes her. "She's not quite fond of sweet things. She likes sour things for some reason, which I can never figure out." Ryou shakes his head, a nostalgic smile on his face.

Brooke couldn't help but feel herself cheer up, briefly forgetting the pain of the tight shoes, seeing Ryou's warm expression. _He should open up more often. _"Don't worry, I think I'll find a recipe where it can satisfy your grandma's tastes."

"Thank you. Don't mind me asking, but this question has been bugging me for awhile...how is your sister in the world with you? I mean, you didn't mention her to me, when you first crashed into me." Ryou tries to casually bring up as possible.

"Oh. Oh yeah...I've been wondering that for awhile as well. And wholly and honestly, I have no idea." Brooke says apologetically to Ryou.

He nods, looking thoughtful. "Well, I do hope that the two of you will figure something out soon." He is silent for another moment, looking as if he wanted to bring something else up, but looks very bothered by it, from his troubled expression. Brooke notices this.

"Is there something wrong?"

"What?" Ryou looks up, his face relaxing when hearing her voice. "Oh. Uhm, well...did...did _He _hurt you?"

Brooke blinks, cocking her head, not sure what Ryou meant at first. However, seeing Ryou looking even more troubled and visibly upset, it clicks in her mind. _He's talking about Yami Bakura. It's so weird that he didn't call him Bakura. Then again, why would I ever assume that Ryou would call the Spirit of the Ring 'Bakura'? Then again, the Spirit never even have a certain name...okay, I'm getting off track here. _"Are you talking about Bakura?" Brooke asks stupidly, her jumbled thoughts getting the best of her.

When Brooke asks this, Ryou's face noticeably darkens, and he turns away. "Don't…." He trails off, his shoulders shaking for a moment.

Alarm rises in Brooke's mind. "D-did I do something wrong? Did I insult you? If I did, I'm sorry." She says, tripping over her words.

Ryou turns back to her, face tired. He stops in his tracks, putting a hand on Brooke's shoulder. "No, no, it's ok. There's no need for you to panic." He laughs lightly, the warmth in his eyes returning. "I'm sorry for shutting down like that…" He smiles once again, but his expression looked blank, generic. Clearly something is bothering him, but Ryou wouldn't say it aloud. But Brooke drops it.

"Okay." She nods slowly. "There's no need to worry. The Spirit of the Ring didn't really hurt me. I mean, I guess he sort of did in a way, by stealing my soul, but other than that, he didn't do much damage." She gives him a reassuring smile.

"Good. But...He couldn't possibly have taken your soul, unless he played a game with you. And my memories from the day before are supressed...I can't recall anything after I found out his existence…"

Brooke nods, sympathetic, patting his back. For a moment, she considered telling Ryou the truth, more about her knowledge of their world - but then again, it's too much for anyone to take at once before starting their day of school. "Yeah, he challenged me to one. And I lost. But it all turned out fine, didn't it?"

"...I'm scared."

She jumps, hearing this from Ryou. Her eyes soften, hearing this from Ryou. "...Are you scared of him?"

"Yes," Ryou admits, looking angry to even do so in the first place. "And I'm scared of many other things." He looks away, looking deep in thought.

Seeing this, Brooke decides to leave him alone. She sneaks a look over to her feet, and internally groans seeing that cuts already formed at the back of her feet. _Theses shoes are so tight, but I don't want to tell Ryou...not after he gave them to me out of his kindness. _Brooke shudders, re-composing herself, trying to ignore the tightness of the shoes, but the pain is becoming more apparent and obvious to her by the minute. _I hope I'll still be able to walk back home with these shoes…_

"Oh yeah Ryou, I forgot to mention, afterschool time I'm going to meet up with my sister, so I won't be at home when you come back."

"Okay, thanks for telling. You're lucky." Ryou suddenly says, a wistful look in his eyes.

"Lucky about what?"

Ryou is pulled back into reality, snapped out of his wistful looks. His expression becomes closed off, his bangs covering his eyes. "Nothing. Enjoy your time with your sister."

Once again, Brooke pieces it together. _He must be missing her own little sister right now. _She thought, remembering the little bit of information about his history. _Should I push it? But that would be surfacing bad memories for him…_ Without giving any more thought to her next action, Brooke asks him, "You said you had a little sister yourself. Where is she?"

All the while Brooke asks Ryou about his sister, his shoulders are noticeably drawing up to his neck, very stiff. _Great now I've done it!_ Brooke yells inside her head, mentally facepalming herself. She looks away, feeling heated at the face and on the brink of tears from shame. "...sorry that I asked."

"It's alright." He suddenly speaks up.

Brooke doesn't look back yet, taking a moment to regain her composure, breathing in and out to settle herself.

"Yes, I had a little sister too. Her name was Amane."

Glaringly and obviously, Ryou is using past tense to describe his sister. "...Why the past tense?" Brooke asks in a small voice, though knowing the answer. This time, she looks back to Ryou, from under her thick bangs.

He smiles, sadness behind crinkling his eyes. "She died in a car accident. When I was twelve. She was only nine at the time." Brooke's heart pounds in her chest, and with all her will power she resists her teeth from chattering. It scared her at how _hollow_ and passive Ryou was talking about Amane. _Is he just trying to hide his pain from me? _Brooke ponders, tightening her scarf.

Ryou sighs, sounding absolutely tired and burnt out. "She was a great little sister. And she was my best friend." He trails off, looking away. "I'm sorry, may I please stop talking about her? I don't want to go to school with such a sad face."

"O-of c-c-course! I'm really, really sorry for bringing it up, it was so stupid of me - !"

"Don't call yourself stupid Brooke." Ryou interrupts gently, his eyes friendly and warm even though there is no present smile on his face. "That was pretty much the first time - in a _long_ time I ever talked about Amane. It was...refreshing. Like the burden got lighter. Besides, you only wanted to know me a bit more."

Warmth is masked all over Brooke. "Y-yeah." She stumbles for a moment, her feet getting the best of her. _Ouch, ouch, ouch! My feet might ache for the rest of the day...maybe these shoes would fit Dena, since they're so small…_ Brooke thought regretfully.

"Well, we're here."

Brooke looks up, seeing a huge building before them, a stream of Domino Highschool students entering slowly. "Oh, good! I'll see you soon Bakura. Have a good morning." She gives a half hearted wave, wobbling slightly as she turns away, the soreness of her feet too great. _I don't think I'll be able to ever make it back home, without walking barefoot. _However, before she even takes a few steps away, Ryou calls out to her.

"Wait, come over here to the bench with me. I'll treat your wounds."

"Uhm, what?" Brooke's eyes fall to her feet, as she shuffles after Ryou to the nearby bench. He, too, looks down to her feet. "It's okay, it's okay. I'm only going to make you late to school…"

He crosses his arms, looking a bit displeased that Brooke was denying her own pain. Sounding exasperated he says, "Brooke, I'll only be a couple of minutes late. There's no need for you to fret over some lost time. Now may you please sit down on the bench?"

Giving up, Brooke plops down on it, though relieved that she can finally get some rest. Ryou kneels on the ground, rummaging through his bag.

"Why didn't you tell me they were tight? Then you wouldn't have walked all the way to school with me, in pain." He says, with an amused and sorry smile, as he looks through the contents of his bag. "I would've stopped you earlier, seeing your frequent grimaces -" Brooke tugs her scarf. _I was that obvious? _"- but you never said anything, indicating your pain. Why is that?"

Shyly, she looks away, concentrating on a single fluffy cloud in the sky. "Well, you did gave me these shoes out of your own kindness, and I wanted to use them since you gave them to me. And I didn't want to hurt your feelings. Besides, by the time we walked out of the door, it was too late. I didn't want to hold you up, so I decided to just endure the shoes for the rest of our walk."

"At the cost of you getting hurt? Brooke, do you think I'll feel hurt, over you not fitting into some old shoes?" Hearing this, she hangs her head in shame, realizing how silly her way of thinking was. Ryou shakes his head, with a smile of disbelief, as he takes out a small medical kit. "There's no need to feel ashamed, you only meant better. You were thinking about me. But you shouldn't keep things to yourself. If you're always doing that, you're the one that's always going to end up hurt." Ryou reminds her, in a concerned tone, squeezing out some anti-bacteria cream, and gently rubbing it on both of Brooke's feet.

Absent-mindedly, Brooke pretends to not feel embarrassed by this, idly looking at the sky to not show her red nose to Ryou and to ignore the glares of stalking Ryou fangirls from Domino.

"I didn't think that somebody would ever notice. And it's also te fact that I'm too used to it. Because when I complain, or disagree with someone, or do anything that the other person doesn't like, their feelings would get hurt. I just don' want to displease others, if I'm the cause of it, and then everything will be fine. I would rather if I never fuss and keep things to myself, it would be better. It always worked out back home." Brooke admits aloud, memories of her home and old life running through her mind. Yes, it has always been that way for her.

Ryou stares at her feet, silent for a moment, looking pretty bothered by Brooke's confession.

"Well, I saw your discomfort, and I noticed. I always noticed."

Brooke's eyes widen. Immediately, her memories spur back to the day where she and Ryou hung out with Yugi and Miho. _So he did notice that I didn't like the red bean cake, even though in reality I wanted the egg custard. He did notice…_ Absolute warmth is radiating from Brooke's face, her clothes suddenly suddenly too hot and clingy to her. She watches Ryou silently, as he tenderly and carefully placed the band aids over her cuts.

"Okay, there you go. Now, let's trade shoes."

"Huh?"

"Even though this pair is a bit too big for your foot size, its roomy and comfy enough for you to walk home."

Brooke frowns at Ryou. "But...but that means you're going to walk around the whole day with such tight shoes."

He smiles, reassuring. "It's alright. I'll just borrow some shoes from Jonouchi or something. There's no need to worry about me. Try to think about yourself for once Brooke. I don't want to see you always sacrificing your own well being." Ryou says, placing a hand on Brooke's shoulder, then squeezing it. She feels herself relax.

"...Okay." She then takes off her shoes, trading with Ryou. "Thank you, Bakura."

"It's no problem."

Before he could walk off, Brooke calls out as well, "I notice too, Bakura." He stops in his tracks, glancing over to her, taken aback. "I notice...that you hold a lot of pain and worry to yourself. And if you ever want to talk about it just say it!"

Ryou's eyes widen, genuine surprise being read from them.

"Because I'm also watching over you Ryou!"

Surprise softens into happiness on Ryou's face. He waves, smiling, brightening up his face and temporarliy banishing all traces of weariness from Ryou's appearance. "Thanks, Brooke. But I don't think I need to anymore." He looks straight at her when he says this. Brooke's heart skips, and she breathes in sharply. "I look forward to coming home for those cooking lessons you promised me!"

Brooke clutches her heart, tight lipped. Then, she bursts out laughing, waving goodbye to Ryou. She gazes to the clear blue sky. _So this is what the letter meant. If so...I'm glad that it turned out like this. I think the future is looking a bit brighter._

* * *

Dena reads over the last part of the letter once again. Her mind is deprived of any sleep, and it's already eight in the morning. But she could hardly sleep after what she just read, over and over for the whole night.

_Brooke is dead._

_Authorites ruled it out as suicide. She rode in front of a train. But I call bullshit on that. I know she was trying to travel back to the Yu-Gi-Oh world. But it was at the wrong time, wrong place. Aw goddamnit. I'm getting worked up thinking about this. _

_Younger me, please be a dear and not tell her about this version of the letter. You can explain to her how you end up there, but do not mention me, nor the reason why I sent you there in the first place. I would prefer it. Afterall, the person I am today is very pitiful, isn't it?_

_There's no doubt that you're ashamed of me. And I don't blame you. _

_All I ask of you before I end this message, is to make yourself a better person and a sister. Make better choices. Family is everything. And really, who gives two damn's worth as to who others think? Whatever Brooke did in the Yu-Gi-Oh world in the past, do your best to help and trust in her. And don't repeat the same mistakes I did. And dear God, don't be a lazy, stuck up asshole who thinks that having a high IQ is everything because guess what, IT ISN'T. You hear me? _

_So do your best to support Brooke._

_Do your best of what I was never able to do. Hear me?_

_I reassure you, when you guys comes back to your original dimension, I won't be here anymore. I'll make sure of it. _

_\- Adena Kemp_

* * *

**A/N: This chapter was meant to be a breather before it heads into the Duelist Kingdom arc - but honestly, it's not quite a breather after what you guys just read, isn't it? Reviews please!**


	11. Lies and Encounters?

**A/N: Whew, sorry for the long await for the update. School is just...blergh. **

AlexistheEliatrope:

**Who knows what the future holds at this point…?**

ShadowClanWarrior:

**Okay, thanks for pointing that out! I probably should fix that…**

Gozekuu:

**It's understandable about the test you needed to take. I'ma have to take the finals in a month… *shudders* I'm glad you're noticing the effort I'm putting into the relationship between Brooke and Ryou! It's something I greatly failed at in my old fics, and I think I'm doing a pretty good job in stocking up in the romance department! Oh, I don't think I'm going to do an 100 chapter fanfic XD that's wayyy too much. I might combine this fic with the Duelist Kingdom and Battle City arc, then separate it into the Orichalchos arc into a story of its own, than the Millennium World. (I'll say that this story will go up to 40 chapters - hopefully, if I write each chapter right.) Thanks for reviewing once again!**

Aeris Mae:

**Thanks for reading this fic like I asked! I'm glad that you readers are able to understand all of this sci-fi babble (I sorta have a hard time understanding it myself, even though I kinda made up the concept). I'm trying to make the OCs convincing as possible for a 'fangirl falls into their favorite TV show/book/movie' or whatever. Haha, you're right about Brooke and Dena accidently ending up with their matched canon characters. I think each works equally well with them (and probably not the other way around like you said, lol)**

**As for the POV shift changes, I try my best to match the canon's voice/personality, which kinda messes up my abilty to write and describe the settings, and other times hard to write their emotions. But I'm getting there, and I'm having sooo much fun with it! (you can see me enjoying myself waayyy too much when I'm writing in Yami B's POV in the last chapters)**

Dark Angel Bakura:

**Thank you for reading like I asked! As for Dena's reaction, given somebody who has no knowledge of Yugioh and falling into the anime itself, she's pretty laid back about it, I agree. XD But that's just Dena.**

* * *

**~Chapter Eleven~**

_Why am I so lazy?_ Dena groans internally to herself, thrusting her face into the soft, cushion-like pillows to block the bright sun shining through a nearby window. The warm side of the pillow suffocating her, Dena flips the pillow over to its cool side, burying her face deeper into the pillow. _Much better. _Peeking out of the pillow, Dena looks over to the digital clock on the bedside table. _12:03 already. Aargh. _Managing to roll onto her back, Dena takes the time to stare blankly off at the ceiling.

Rubbing her sticky eyes, Dena yawns, and tries to sit up, only to plop back down. "Blargh...my head is hurting like crazy…" She moans, rubbing her temples. Taking a moment to close her eyes, Dena calculates the amount of sleep she was able to get. rest for her. Realizing this, Dena groans loudly, tugging at her hair.

After reading the letter, she stayed up until eight in the morning, hardly able to catch some sleep. She was finally able to sleep around 10:00...so that meant only around two hours of That letter...Dena rolls her head to her other side, seeing the damned letter placed upon the other bedside table. _If I never read that…_ Feverishly, she runs her sweaty hands over her face. _What in the world am I gonna tell Brooke?_

All of these mixed and unsensible thoughts, finally comes to a stop when a loud rumble from the stomach interrupts her process of thinking. _I might as well get ready or whatever...I gotta see Brooke._ Grunting, Dena rolls to her left side. Which only results in her completely rolling off the bed, and landing facedown.

"Ouch…"

* * *

Dena was finally able to drag herself out of bed, after carelessly gargling some water, washing her face, and throwing on a new change of underwear and some baggy clothes. Sluggishly, she walks her way down the seemingly endless hallways of the Kaiba Mansion. _Kitchen, kitchen, kitchen...damn it all, where's the kitchen?!_ Dena hollers in her mind grouchily, dragging her feet aimlessly on the floor. The thought struck her of the very fact after residing in the Kaiba Mansion for a few days, she had no idea where the kitchen was. _Probably cuz the butlers serving me the food in my room...speaking of butlers, where are they?_

Walking through these long hallways, strange enough, Dena does not see handfuls of butlers and maid bustling about through the mansion. From the past couple of days she's been here, Dena would estimate that there are about sixty maids and butlers in all personally working for Kaiba. They would walk back and forth in these hallways busily with armfuls of laundry, trays of coffee, or messages especially for Kaiba during these days. But from what Dena noticed so far, she only saw a total of nine butlers and maids walking around.

Walking closer to what Dena now realized is Kaiba's bedroom where the now catatonic CEO is residing in, she can only guess that Mokuba is in there as well. _Maybe I should check on Mokuba-kid again, and say a good morning. That, and also asking where the kitchen is. _Opening the door, across the room sits Kaiba in a wheelchair, staring off mindlessly with that same dazed, frozen expression. Shuddering, Dena looks over to the small, bushy haired figure sitting in an arm chair a couple of feet away from Kaiba.

Feeling a smile on her face, Dena greets, "Good morning Mokuba."

The younger Kaiba sibling looks up from some papers sitting in his lap. The first thing that strikes Dena as odd, was the dark bags under Mokuba's eyes, giving the young boy a look of an old, grim man on his face. The grimness placed on Mokuba's face disappears temporarliy, when his face goes round and young again from the smile that he gives Dena.

"Actually, it's a around the afternoon. Hey, Dena." Mokuba greets her back, as she cautiously enters the room.

Shoving her hands deep into the huge pockets of her sweatshirt, Dena keeps her eyes trained on Mokuba, preferring not to look at the not present Kaiba. "So how goes the day, Mokuba-kid? I say, you look kinda tired…"

"I'd say the same for you," Mokuba smiles, but it quickly falls back into a grimace, as he looks back to the papers in his lap.

"Watcha got there…?"

"Numbers," Mokuba mumbles, jotting something down on the paper. "I'm calculating the numbers of money and stocks that KaibaCorp is making right now...and how much it's losing…"

"Eh? Whaddya mean, losing?" Dena questions, a small frown forming on her face.

Mokuba gives a scowl at the papers in front of him, before looking back to Dena. "It's been a long time since I did some math. Ouch, my head." Mokuba shoves the papers off to the side, with a joking smile, but his eyes tell Dena otherwise. The ever present grimness and seriousness that she sees hidden under his expression, sent alarms through her.

"Is, uhm, everything okay, Mokuba…? I mean, I figure with your bother, uhm, outta commission and all, there'd be other people that'll run the company for him, right?" Worriedly, Dena scans Mokuba, his face now hidden by his long bangs. "Right…?"

Abruptly, Mokuba starts ripping up the papers, his face now revealing steady trickles of tears running down his face. Flabbergasted, Dena watches Mokuba as he shreds the papers bit by bit, the remains fluttering to the ground like leaves. Breathing heavily, Mokuba wipes his face once he was done. He chokes out, his expression clenched and betrayed, "It's funny how people's true colors surface after shit goes down."

Staring at him, Dena approaches him, placing a hand on his head. "Mokuba…"

"It's all wrong, Dena!" Mokuba cries out, slamming his fists down to his knees. "It's going all wrong! Everything's falling apart, now that Seto is gone! KaibaCorp is steadily losing its dealerships with other companies...my brother's company is losing its reputation at alarming rates after Seto lost that game with Yugi...stockholders are vanishing or leaving KaibaCorp without a word...and the money that my brother made is disappearing slowly but surely!" Mokuba is panting after pouring out this torrent of worry to Dena. He looks up to her, his face red and puffy from the frustrated tears.

"A-at the rate Dena...Seto and I will be left on the streets. The money that he has saved and made will only last us for a couple of months...then that's it! KaibaCorp will fall apart, and everyone will forget about us, the Kaiba brothers!" Wiping his nose furiously, Mokuba covers his face, ashamed. "A lot of the maids and butlers quit, because they all are sure as hell that they won't be getting their paychecks...soon this mansion will be left empty, and who'll take care of my brother? Who's going to save KaibaCorp? Not me! I'm just a kid! I...I just don't know what to do."

Dena grips his shoulders during his whole spiel of grief.

The sobs settle into quiet, muffled crying from Mokuba, his shoulders shaking every few seconds. "...I'm really scared. He's going to come back...right? He...He _has _to."

Both of them stood there, the only present sounds coming from Mokuba's quiet sobs.

"Hey. Let's get outta here."

"W-what?" Incredulously, Mokuba raises his head, looking straight at Dena to see if she's serious.

The expression on her face is somber, yet her eyes are filled with a lively spark that sort of made Mokuba feel invigorated. "I know that there's all the matters of the company and whatnot, and I don't really know so much bout the matters of the business world, but a kid your age shouldn't be stressed over this stuff. You've been here in this room way too long for my liking with your brother, not like it's a bad thing - but you really need to get outta here or something before your thoughts are gonna drive you crazy. I know the feeling." Dena talks rapidly to Mokuba, yet he was able to catch on every word she said perfectly.

Outstretching her hand, a broad smile takes over Dena's face, lighting it up. "Let's just go somewhere. Let's do something freaking fun."

Mokuba stares at her outstretched hand. He takes it, and grins back at her. "Okay. Let's go!"

"Atta boy, Mokuba-kid!"

* * *

Dena grips the small hand of Mokuba, as they walk out of Kaiba Mansion together. _Where to go, where to go…?_ A rumble of her stomach answers Dena, giving her the first idea. Pointing excitedly to a nearby restaurant, Dena says, "I'm starved, let's eat!" And pulls Mokuba over there. Once inside and taking a table, Dena barely glances at the menu, and calls over the waiter immediately, much to Mokuba's confusion.

Smiling at the waiter, Dena exclaims, "One of everything on the lunch menu, if you please!"

Recieving a strange look, the waiter nods, and quickly backs away, figuring that Dena must be some sort of rich person to have walked into the restaurant.

Mokuba looks at Dena with wide eyes. "How are you going to pay for all of that?"

"Simple, credit card." She grins at Mokuba, waving the plastic card in the air. "The magic of the plastic thing is strong. I hardly used this thing back home - but I always carried it around. I think it's gonna work here."

Blinking, Mokuba laughs back. "You're crazy. Think of how much debt you'll be in."

She shrugs, smiling eagerly at the plates of clam chowder soup being placed in front of both of them. "Right now I'm just thinking about the delicious food awaiting us! Relax Mokuba-kid, this is all on me! Sometimes, you gotta think for yourself instead of others all the time. Just sit back and eat!" She says, and sets to work digging into her soup.

Mokuba pauses, Dena's words echoing in his mind.. Then, he takes a spoon and starts digging in as well.

* * *

"_Hey, is that the brother of Seto Kaiba?"_

"_Yeah, yeah, look how short he is!"_

"_What's his name again?"_

"_I dunno, how should I know? Who cares anyway, he's just the little brother of Kaiba."_

Mokuba grinds his teeth hearing onlookers whisper this to each other, not so subtly. Dena as well, as a frown on her face, as she listens to the bystanders. Pulling his hand, Dena picks up her pace. "Where to next, Mokuba-kid?" She calls out, smiling down at her. He couldn't help but smile back, given that Dena's neverending energy is contagious. Mokuba is still in wonder of how Dena was able to finish half of the dozens of food she ordered - it was like she was starving. Happily she carries the leftovers in a plastic bag in the other hand.

"I dunno really, maybe the beach?"

"Beach it is!"

Ignoring the stares that both are receiving from dozens of people, both walk on, Dena fearless. Soon, Mokuba found himself not caring about the others oogling at him. _I just gotta relax. I just gotta have fun. _He tells himself. _This is going to be a fun time with Dena, and I can't let anybody else ruin that. Nothing can go - _

"Hey you, kid!" Somebody hollers.

Mokuba glances up, snapped out of his thoughts. A young man jogs towards him and Dena, wearing a snazzy looking suit and an out dated fedora. In his hand is a notepad, and around his neck is a camera. Seeing all of the signs, Mokuba groans. _I should've figured waltzing out in public would draw some reporters._

"Mokuba, right? That's your name? You're the little brother of Seto Kaiba, CEO of KaibaCorps! Excellent!" The reporter rambles on fast, not allowing a chance for either Dena or Mokuba to answer. "Tell me, Mr. Kaiba, the matters of your older brother! What is he doing right now? Why are KaibaCorp stocks dropping at a drastic rate! What are you going to do about the ruined reputation of your older brother who lost at his favorite game, Duel Monsters, with Yugi Mutou?"

Mokuba's head buzzes with both the building irritation and the endless questions that the reporter is asking him.

"Hey Chatty," Dena interrupts, clutching Mokuba's clammy hand. "If you don't see here, some people happen to value their privacy."

The journalist looks over to Dena, a fire lighting up in his eyes. Once again, Mokuba groans. Who knows how much extravagant stories full of lies that this journalist is going to stir up? As all three are speed walking, onlookers begin to pay attention more and more to the three, given how loud the journalist's voice is. Pointing his pencil to Dena's direction, the journalist excitedly asks, "And who might you be? Why are you with Mokuba Kaiba? Are you a babysitter? Or a mistress of Seto Kaiba?"

Clearly this breaches Dena's breaking point. Shoving the reporter, Dena yells at him, "How about you screw off?! And really, you honestly think that Kaiba has freaking mistresses?! And that I'm one of them? That's low, man." To Mokuba's alarm, he notices bystanders slowly building a ring surrounding him, Dena, and the journalist. It doesn't help that he sees the car of _Domino City LiveNews_ nearby, with the cameramen and famous smiling reporter that Mokuba would see in the news every morning on TV.

Tugging at Dena's hand, Mokuba whispers desperately, "Dena, I think we have to run."

Snapped out of her ongoing rant to the journalist, Dena looks back to Mokuba. "Why's that kid?"

Out of the corner of his eyes, Mokuba is struck with panic, seeing the permanently smiling reporter, noticing the fuss that Dena and the journalist have created, are looking straight at their direction now. "_LET'S GO!"_ Mokuba booms out, dragging Dena behind him, and breaking through the ring of people surrounding them.

"Come back here! I'm not done asking questions!" The journalist hollers.

"_Hey we should follow them!"_

"_Yeah, maybe we're going to be on TV if we get that Kaiba kid!"_

"Well, isn't this fan-fucking-tastic!" Dena shouts in disbelief, running with Mokuba, away from the crazed crowd of reporters, fans, and everyday people.

Not answering, Mokuba drags Dena down the sidewalk, swerving right down an alley. Huffing, Mokuba is on survival mode. _There's no way in hell I'll get caught by the paparazzi! _He thought with a hardened resolve, and shuddering at the thought of being caught by one of his older brother's "fangirls," or Mokuba would like to call them, _psychotic stalkers._ Turning another sharp left, Mokuba pummels through crowds of people on the sidewalk, Dena right behind him.

"Let's go in there!" He hears Dena exclaim, before being dragged inside a store. Furtively, Dena pulls Mokuba through the store, receiving some strange looks from onlooking shoppers at the abrupt appearance of Mokuba and Dena. Briskly grabbing some clothes off the racks, Dena pushes Mokuba into a dressing room, shutting it close behind them. Breathing heavily, Dena sinks to the ground, practically wheezing.

"Is your asthma acting up?" Mokuba questions worriedly, recalling her last attack at Death-T4.

"I...I don't...think so…" Dena huffs, wiping sweat off her forehead. She gives a grin to Mokuba, to reassure him. "Kid...I don't think I've ever been on a paparrzi chase...we should totally do it again!"

"Dena!"

"Haha, kidding, kidding. Man, celebrities have it tough." Rising to her feet, Dena stretches. Shoving the armful of clothes in Mokuba's face, she says, "We should change our clothes so nobody would recognize us!"

"Oh! Good idea!"

"We should totally crossdress too!"

"Wait, what?!"

Mokuba watches Dena in disbelief as she lays out the clothes, and even more in disbelief seeing the seriousness etched in her face, as she looks at the outfits. "I can't believe it...you're actually serious." He does a face palm, shaking his head.

"Hell right I am. Okay, I guess you can dress up in this school girl outfit - it's a good thing you have such long, lucious hair!" Dena teases mercilessly, waving a cute school girl outfit in Mokuba's face. He shudders at the shortness of the pleated skirt, protectively clutching his favorite yellow vest.

"Hell no, Dena! I'm not _that _desperate."

"Blergh. You're no fun." She pouts, disappointed, and throws the outfit to the side.

After much arguing and teasing, Mokuba was able to convince Dena to not dress him up in a girl outfit. Instead, he went with choosing huge sunglasses, a baseball cap, and a poncho to disguise him. But that didn't stop Dena from crossdressing herself. She went full out on a motor bike gang cosplay outfit. "Bad to the bone!" Dena smiles proudly at her reflection, posing sillily in her leather jacket.

He rolls his eyes off to the side, but couldn't help but laugh with Dena. "I may have said this before, but you're crazy."

"I'm not crazy. I'm just mentally enhanced."

"Har-dee-har-har." However, Mokuba smiles genuinely at her.

* * *

Once paying for their new outfits/disguises, the two were able to walk in the public freely once again without any notice from nosy journalists or crazed Kaiba fangirls. The two are now at the beach, happily taking off their shoes, and running across the sand. For an autumn day, it was perfect. Not too hot, not too cold, and just the amount of wind present in the air. The best part is, there is hardly anyone present at the beach, given that most are either at school or work. So there was no need for either Mokuba or Dena to wear their disguises, and soon enough threw it carelessly to the side with their shoes.

"A shame we didn't get bathing suits," Dena ponders aloud, staring out at the shimmering waters.

"That's okay. Being here's enough." Mokuba grins, plopping down on the sand, right near the tide is pulling in. The current rises to his bare feet - and surprisingly an icy cold. "Brr!" Mokuba comments, drawing back his bare feet, and giggling shortly after. Dena joins Mokuba, sitting right besides him. Carefree, she stretches her legs, letting the ocean water cover them.

"Clearly you haven't been to the beach enough." She laughs, hardly dazed at the cringe worthy cold water.

"You're pretty much right about that," He admits, hesitantly dipping a toe in the water rising up to them.

"Wow, really? How so?"

"The last time I remember ever going to the beach was when I was six years old. When Seto and I were at the orphanage. The orphan workers - when Ms. Miyako was the head of the orphanage - took us out to a trip to the beach. It was the best day of our lives for Seto and I, because kids at the orphanage hardly go to any fun places." Mokuba stares out at the dark blue water, shielding his eyes from the glare of the reflection from the sun above. "We had so much fun! We were at the beach for the whole day, playing in the water and building sand castles! Funny enough, Seto was kinda scared to go into the water at first. He hated how cold it was. But in the end, he ended up going there, and he was practically swimming there for half of the day." The boy smiles fondly at this memory, fresh in his mind as if he remembered like it just happened yesterday.

"The orphan workers were put in a good mood as well - they even bought all of us orphans ice cream, a really rare treat! It was a great day. It was the best day of our lives at the orphanage. It was the last day where Seto and I had any fun before we were adopted." He goes quiet, the nostalgia overpowering. Mokuba does not meet Dena's eyes, only staring out at the shimmering, limitless sea. "After that, well, Seto and I never went to the beach again." Finally, he looks back to Dena, who is looking at him with wide eyes. "Oh...uhm, did I weird you out or anything?"

"What? No, no, no! That's contrary!" Dena gives a small smile, patting Mokuba's shoulder. "It's just...the look on your face when you're describing all that...you really do love your big brother, don't you? Even after all he's done to you…" She trails off, the smile disappearing, Mokuba guessing that she's certainly thinking back to the bad memories Kaiba created for her.

"Well...yeah." Mokuba answers, feeling that fact to be obvious. He digs his heels into the cold, wet, packed sand. The tide closes in, water rushing into the holes created by his feet. Mokuba splashes them, childish instincts taking over him. "I mean, he's family. He's my only family. Even if he did some horrible stuff. I can't help but forgive him." Mokuba splashes the water once again. "You must think that's stupid, right Dena?"

Looking back to her, Mokuba is surprised to see deep thought in her face. "No...no, I don't think it's stupid. Just confusing." Dena answers him truthfully. "Then again, Kaiba isn't my family or anything, so what do I know? It's what you think Mokuba-kid. Don't doubt that."

He smiles, relieved. "Yeah. Thanks. It's weird really. I never actually told anyone else about my brother."

"If that's the case, I'm pretty glad you told me Mokuba-kid."

"Yeah. Me too."

* * *

"Go, go, go!" Cheers Dena behind him, as he carefully directs the crane over to his chosen prize. A box that has two lockets in the shape of Duel Monster Cards. Seeing that inside the prize box at the arcade, Mokuba knew that's something he needed to get. Something he needed to earn. Sticking his tongue out, Mokuba presses the button to lower the crane. Both he and Dena hold their breath, as the metal crane slowly, but surely closes in on the prize.

"C'mon, c'mon," Mokuba breathes, pressing his face against the cool surface of the glass box.

Finally, the metal crane makes it grip - much to Mokuba's leaping joy, around the box of the lockets. "Yes!" He jumps up and down, as the crane slowly carries his prize over to the drop box, dropping it. Excitedly, Mokuba, shoves his hand into the box, pulling out his well earned prized.

Dena claps proudly, her smile reaching ear to ear. "That's the way to do it Mokuba-kid! Three times the charm like they say!"

"Thanks! You're cheerleading helped me alot too!" Mokuba jokes, and gently lifts the lockets out of the box. They were both heavy, given that they were both made of silver. They shine in the dull, colorful lights of the arcade. Mokuba clicks one of the buttons on the side of the Duel Monster card shaped locket, and gasps with delight seeing that it swings open. He smiles excitedly, seeing the empty space inside the locket. _This is perfect! The perfect place to put that picture!_ The little boy feels his shoulders quiver with excitement at the very thought. Smiling widely, Mokuba looks at Dena, who is staring at the prizes inside the prize box. He follows the direction of her gaze to a box sitting in the center of the prize shelf. Cushioned in a velvet box, is a necklace of the symbols Yin and Yang. Squinting closer, Mokuba realizes that is one separates the combined symbols, it becomes two necklaces.

"Eyeing the prize?"

"Eh? Oh yeah. I was looking at that. I was just thinking how my older sis loves symbolism and all that."

"Really? Well, here you go." Mokuba places some yen into Dena's hand, and closes it. "Earn it."

She smiles down at him. "Thanks Mokuba-kid."

"No prob! Now I'm going to cheer for you!"

* * *

Mokuba and Dena arrive back at the Kaiba Mansion around late two o'clock, prizes in their hands from the arcade. Both skip inside, completely carefree. Dena following Mokuba, he goes to his room, and takes out his prized possession. He can practically feel his eyes pricking, when viewing the old, fraying edge photo of him and his older brother, when they were younger. Both are smiling happily straight at the camera, playing a game of chess, surrounded by onlooking orphans interested in their game. Mokuba strokes the surface of the photo, his thumb near his older brother.

"This is the only photo I ever have of Seto smiling." Mokuba says aloud to Dena. He traces his finger down the photo. Then, he rips it in half. A loud gasp is heard from Dena.

"Uhm, whoa! Mokuba?"

"I'm fine." He smiles in reassurance. He waves the halves in the air. "These are perfect." He takes out the lockets from his pockets, opening them. He smiles so hard to the point where his cheeks hurt, from the fact that the ripped halves of his treasured photo fit snuggly and perfectly inside the lockets as if they were purposely made for them.

"Oh." Dena laughs behind him, clapping her hands. "For a second there, I was caught off guard. That's pretty sweet Mokuba-kid." She glances down to her watch. "Aw gee, it's almost three. I have to take my leave Mokuba-kid, to meet up with my sister."

"Okay!" Mokuba replies, happily putting his new locket around his neck. He looks back to Dena, and without saying anything else, hugs her. He buries his face into her neck, given that's how tall he is. Of course, this is not anticipated by Dena. Eventually, and awkwardly, Dena slowly encloses her arms around Mokuba's shoulders, squeezing them slightly. He squeezes back, shutting his eyes.

"Thanks a lot Dena. For everything you've done."

"No problem Mokuba. Hey...you're a good kid. And a good little brother as well. When Kaiba comes back, he's gonna see and realize that fact. Don't ever doubt him for a second."

Mokuba's face burns up from the tears building behind his eyes. "I won't Dena."

* * *

She wipes her eyes from the last of the tears that squeezed out from them, as she walks briskly down the sidewalk. _That kid...man. I just love him. _She thought, with a goofy smile, straightening her glasses. In one of her big pockets, is the present she has for Brooke. Dena couldn't help but notice and remember from the last time she saw her, that her locket was gone. And she knew fully well why. Dena's heart swells up from the memory, nearly feeling suffocated from remembering it.

_I wonder if Brooke really meant what she said. _Dena wonders, patting her pocket. Just as she's walking, up ahead she recognizes a familiar bright yellow ribbon, caught up in long lavender hair. Her pink and blue school uniform sends more recognition through Dena's head. _Is that…_ "Uhm, hey." Dena greets Miho, tapping her shoulder.

She spins around, looking scared for a moment. Then, the other girl breathes out, giggling when she recognizes Dena as well. "Oh! It's just you. Whew, I thought it was some weirdo. Not like you are one."

"Done with school?"

"Uhm, yes!"

"Where are you heading?"

"Uhmmmmm…" Guilt is written all over Miho's face, as she nervously twirls a strandful of hair. "Just, uhm, planning to head over to Blue House Cafe."

Dena casts Miho a strange look, from the nervousness that she's expressing. "Whaddya know, I was heading there myself. Wanna go there together?"

"S-sure!'

"O-kay then…" Dena says slowly, still weirded out by Miho's shady behavior.

* * *

"Want me to get you anything else, Brooke?" Anzu asks her, giving a friendly smile at her.

The other girls shakes her head, giving a grateful smile. "No, I think that's all Anzu. Thanks a lot though."

"Hey, no prob! Call me if you need anything!" Anzu's head snaps up when hearing the jingle of the bells near the door. "Oh, that might be a new customer. Better check it out!"

Brooke smiles at the strutting figure of Anzu, as she walks towards the entrance. _It's so admirable how she keeps on working despite the dangers of her school rules. And how she keeps on working at each crazy job after another. _Brooke thought in admiration, sipping her cup of peppermint tea. _Dena should be here anytime soon…_ She is pulled out of thought, when hearing loud stomping coming to her direction. Brooke looks up, seeing Anzu back with Dena, and Miho much to her surprise.

She is a bit alarmed to see Anzu's left eye twitching with agitation, her mouth set in a tight smile. "Please. Take your seats." She says through gritted teeth, particularly eyeing with Miho with such a venom that it made her squeal with fright. Stiffly, Miho and Dena take their places at the table, freaked out by Anzu's sudden hostile behavior.

"H-hey sis," Dena greet Brooke, looking bewildered. "Uhm...is there something wrong with Anzu today?"

Unsure, Brooke looks back to Anzu, who is stomping back with a tray of food in her hands. "I have no idea…"

Their short conversation is interrupted, when a platter of food is slammed on their table. Shocked, Brooke looks back to Anzu, who is still staring at Miho with a venomous glare, as she squeezes some ketchup upon fries they never ordered. "Now, now, you _must_ try these French fries my dear _Miho-chan_." Anzu growls dangerously, shoving it to Miho's direction.

Shakingly, Miho speaks up nervously, "B-But, I didn't o-o-order any food yet, A-Anzu…"

"Well you can say this is on the house."

Both Brooke and Dena look over to Miho's food, both gasping in shock seeing a bloody looking message, _"KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT OR DIE."_ Miho squeaks once finished reading this message.

"I hate to ask this, but, what gives?" Dena asks, flustered.

Brooke smiles to herself, fully knowing the reason why. _Miho must have not found out about Anzu's secret when Jonouchi and Yugi did. That figures. _Anzu sighs, placing a hand on her head.

"Sorry, sorry. I might've overreacted. Gosh, this is the same reaction I had when Yugi and Jonouchi found out. You see Dena, Miho, Brooke, I'm working so that I can start saving money to travel to America when I grow up, so that I can study dance! But the thing is Dena, my school doesn't allow students to have jobs. So if Miho here," Anzu quickly gives Miho a death glare. "Blabs this out, I can possibly get suspended…"

"Oh. Woah. That's so cool Anzu," Dena stutters, looking red at the cheeks. Brooke is now starting to notice that Dena acted awkwardly strange when in the presence of Anzu. "But seriously though, what kind of school doesn't let the students work? I mean, highschoolers need to work to save up for stuff, like you." Dena points out.

Anzu sighs, flipping her hair. "Tell that to the principal."

"It's alright Anzu!" Miho finally speaks up. "I definitely and totally won't tell anyone! Miho crosses her heart and hopes to die!"

Anzu laughs, relieved, crossing her heart. "Good. Now, do you want to actually order something you want?"

Miho glances over to Dena's watch, and pales for some reason, fear striking her expression. "S-so sorry! I have to go - !" In a blink of an eye, Miho hustles out of the café, looking genuinely freaked out. _Now I'm starting to wish to know more about Miho's past. I never particularly watched the Toei anime version…_Brooke thought, weirded out by Miho's panic.

"Actually, can you give us that special cream cake that the café serves here? I definitely want my sister here to try it."

Anzu nods, her charming smile back on. "Got it." And sashays away.

Once gone, Brooke looks back to Dena, smiling. "Blammo!" Dena exclaims with melodramatic flair, presenting a velvet box. "Uhm, I know that you don't have a locket anymore, after, uhm, our fight…so, I got us some new ones!" Dena quickly says, and opens the box. Brooke leans in, gasping slightly to see two necklaces of the symbols Yin and Yang inside the box.

In disbelief, Brooke looks at Dena. "Are you sure you're the same younger sister?"

"No duh," Dena laughs. "Which sign represents what? Cuz I ain't an expert on symbolism like you, Brooke."

"Well, I see myself representing the Yin half." Brooke states, taking the dark symbol.

"Kay then. I guess I have the Yang."

Anzu appears at the table once more, placing the slices of cake in front of the sisters. "Here you go, and enjoy! Oh yeah, cute necklaces too!"

"Haha, thanks." Dena smiles, looking bashful.

Once Anzu walks away from the table, Dena looks back to Brooke, looking serious once again. "Okay. So. Gonna spill the beans?"

The happiness settled in Brooke's head, crumbles into realization, knowing what she has to tell Dena. _There's still so many stuff up ahead. With saving Ryou from suicide, and all the dangers in store for us up ahead, I have to prepare my sister. _"I think I have a clue as to why I'm here. But as for you Dena, the letter never mentions you…"

Frowning in puzzlement, Dena cocks her head. "…A letter?"

"Yes, a letter. And supposedly it comes 10 years from the future. And supposedly it says that the older me that has wrote that letter, has been in the Yu-Gi-Oh world in the past, which is now." Dena's eyes are wide, as she leans in. She shakes her head back and forth, looking the picture of disbelief. "Yeah, it's hard to believe, I know. But so far, it's able to predict the events taking place here. And there's some things that the letter asks of me…and that's to save Ryou Bakura from suicide."

_CRASH!_

Brooke's and Dena's head snap up from their private conversation, seeing Anzu nearby, with dropped plates of food in front of her. Her expression is shocked and wide-eyed.

"Are you okay there, Anzu?" Dena calls out worriedly, rushing to help her.

Anzu snaps out of it. "Y-Yeah…I think I tripped or something…"

Brooke rushes to help them. Shortly after cleaning up the mess, Dena and Brooke both go back to their seats. "I'm worried, Dena. I'm worried, I'm scared actually, that I'm going to screw this up."

"Why would ya think that? Well, whatever happens, I'll be here. And I'm gonna try to help."

Brooke smiles. "What has gotten into you, Dena?"

"A lot. Being in this crazy world taught me a thing or two. Say Brooke, did the letter mention me?"

She bites her bottom lip. "Yeah." She lies.

* * *

Ryou looked like an excited little boy when Brooke pulled out the finished batch of sugar and almond cookies out of the oven, and put the last touches to the lime jello. "Who would've think!" He exclaims, grinning, leaning excitedly over the cookies. "I never thought of giving jello to grandma. That's some quick thinking right there, Brooke!"

"Thank you. You helped out too, Bakura."

"Really? All I did was beat the eggs and watched you do the rest."

"Well, I hoped that you actually learned something from seeing me cook," Brooke laughs lightly, carefully putting the jello into a container.

"I think so. Enough for me to not burn down the house." Quickly, Ryou stuffs a cookie into his mouth.

"I saw that!" Brooke spins around, laughing at his silliness.

"What? The smell was too good." He says through a stuffed mouth. "Here, let me help you pack up." Ryou rummages through the cupboards to find another container.

"Did you finish all of your homework?"

"Almost, I only have a couple left."

Once the two efficiently packed the food up and other belongings, they exit the house, going to the bus stop. "So you said that your grandma was in a home at the outskirts of Domino City?" Brooke asks Ryou, clutching the jello to her chest.

"Yes, the ride's is going to take around two hours." Ryou smiles almost apologetically at Brooke. "You really don't need to come, you know, if you don't want to."

Brooke feels herself stutter, turning red at the nose from the gentle look Ryou gave her. "N-no! I really do insist! I'd love to meet your family!" She covers her mouth, even more heat burning up at her face, realizing how awkward it sounded to say such a statement outloud. _I made it sound like as if we're a couple or something!_ She thought morbidly, tightening her scarf.

He smiles back. "I'm also sure they would be glad to meet you as well, Brooke."

Feeling warm at the face, Brooke turns away, a smile curving the edges of her mouth.

* * *

_Brooke has a letter as well. _Dena's mind traces back to the letter she has received as well. _My older self did mention that older Brooke died by trying to travel back to the Yu-Gi-Oh world...it must be the case that the letter was able to travel to it, on its own. _She straightens her glasses, stretching out, and stares up at the ceiling. _Should I tell Brooke about my own letter? That would be for the best...But the things that my older self did…_ The hairs on the back of Dena's neck raise. _And she asked of me not to tell Brooke...gahhhh, I dunno what to do!_ Kicking her legs up, Dena comfies herself on the couch. _Furthermore, just how long Brooke and I are going to be staying in this world? Are we ever gonna go back home?_ Images of Dena's parents and her little brother, Cargan, flash through her mind. Emptiness fills her.

_Is this how Brooke felt when she first came here? Alone? Lonely? Did she miss me? _Dena stares aimlessly at the ceiling. _I'd fancy that thought. But she probably would've still been mad. After that stupid fight that caused this situation in the first place. _

"Hey, Dena!"

She sits up, hearing her name called. Mokuba walks into the room, a package in his hand. He waves it around. "I got this weird tape in the mail. Wanna watch it?"

Dena shrugs in answer. "Be careful," She says jokingly, as Mokuba inserts the tape into the VCR. "It could be one of those nasty cursed tapes where a ghost girl says, '_Seven Days!'_ Wooooooo!" Dena says in a ghostly voice.

"Hahaha, I am so scared." Mokuba rolls his eyes, smiling. He turns on the TV, static taking it up first. Mokuba jumps back, probably a bit scared at the potential of the tape being "cursed." However, shortly, a face appears on the TV screen. A young man, probably in his late 20's, with shining and long silver hair, strangely most of it covering his left eye, smiles directly at the direction of Dena and Mokuba, as if really seeing them.

"Why, helloooo Mokuba!"

"Pegasus?" Mokuba repeats, in disbelief. Dena's ears perk up when hearing this name. Her thoughts recalled to the text messages between her and Brooke. Alarm creeps through her. _This is Pegasus! The creator of Duel Monsters! _Dena bites down at her lip, staring suspiciously at the video of Pegasus. _Okay, okay, I probably shouldn't worry. This is a video tape. A simple video tape. _

"So glad to see you! How have you been? How is your dear older brother? Oh yes, I forgot, he's in some sort of coma, hmm?"

Mokuba's shoulders stiffen. Dena scowls at the TV. "What the heck does he want?" She hears Mokuba whispers to himself.

"Oh, you want to know what I want?" Pegasus suddenly says, as if he really heard what Mokuba said, creeping Dena out by a million. "Simple Mokuba-boy. I want what's left of KaibaCorps."

The little boy jumps to his feet. "Never! KaibaCorps isn't dead yet, Pegasus!"

"Ah, I knew you'd make this difficult," Pegasus shakes his head, melodramatically putting a hand to his head.

Dena edges close to Mokuba, alarm rising in every state of her being. "Mokuba-kid, there's something wrong here…"

"Looks like I have to resort to drastic measures." Says Pegasus through the TV.

Suddenly, all the lights in the living room go out, only the TV screen still on. Dena grips Mokuba, seeing his faint outline in the darkness. "What? What is this?!"

Pegasus flips his hair, a confident smirk on his face. "Let's just say Mokuba, you have some unexpected company. Try not to fight back, will you little boy? They will play rough if they have to. And I believe you know who they are."

Jumping up, Mokuba rushes over to the desk in the living room, crashing through the drawers. "Mokuba? Kid, what's happening?" Dena asks, getting highly freaked out.

"Got it!" Mokuba goes back to her.

"_Hey brat. Where are you?"_ A sleazy voice echoes out through the halls of the mansion. Dena feels herself hold her breath.

"Mokuba! We gotta run!"

"Oh, that'll be useless," Pegasus chortles in the TV screen, as the two run blindly out of the room.

Rushing through the hallways, it was absolutely pitch black. Dena couldn't see a thing. Heavy footsteps are running after her and Mokuba. Running as fast as she can upstairs, she drags Mokuba behind, and goes inside what she think is her room. Scanning the completely dark room, Dena sees an outline of a hamper. "Mokuba kid, you gotta hide!" She whispers, panicking to hear the footsteps thumping upstairs. Without hearing any arguement from Mokuba, she stuffs him inside the hamper.

_I gotta distract them! Or at least run outside to get help!_ Dena thought in frenzy panic, flinging open the door, and running out. She runs the opposite direction of her room yelling at the top of her lungs, "Hey bozos, come and get me!" Blindly, she runs through the darkness, often tripping over her feet. The thumping, heavy footsteps are getting closer. Suddenly, a huge hand grabs her arm.

"Aagh!" Dena screams, but another hand, a bony thin one, slips over her mouth. "Mmphh!" She struggles, kicking and thrashing about as hard as she could.

"Stupid girl." A gruff, scratchy voice says to her right.

"Hold her down, will you Lector?"

"Where is the key?"

"Wait, that other Kaiba brat isn't with her…?"

The grip of what seems to be five strangers around her, tightens on her arms, twisting it. Dena grunts in pain, squirming. "How about you tell us where he is little girlie, and we won't hurt you," A deep voice barks at her from her left. Finally uncovering her mouth, Dena takes a huge breath, relieved to not smell or taste such a clammy, huge hand.

"How about _fuck you._" She spits out with stubbornness, struggling under their grip.

"This little - !"

"Now wait a minute Gangsley! There's no need to hurt her just yet! We'll take her to Pegasus, and he'll be able to find out where that stupid little boy is!"

Feeling someone lift her, Dena kicks and punches more, but their strength was too strong. So she is completely under the submission of the men who broke into the Kaiba Mansion and cut off the power and work for Pegasus who is the next crazy psycho bonkers villain that Yugi and the others have to deal with. Yeah, outlook not so good. Completely helpless, Dena is brought back into the room where the tape is still running.

* * *

Pegasus smiles triumphantly to himself, when hearing the Big Five walk back into the living room, fully expecting to have Mokuba in their grasp. However, squinting closer through the TV in front of him, disappointment deflates his temporary ecstaticness, seeing through the illuminated lighting that the Big Five only brought back that blonde haired teenaged girl. He frowns at all of them, as they shuffle into the room. "Now may I ask, where is little Mokie-boy?" Pegasus asks in a dripping voice, yet annoyance is rising in him.

"Sorry Master Pegasus - this girl hid him somewhere," Nezbitt speaks up, kicking the girl forward.

"Hmm, well I certainly have no patience for a little game of hide and seek," Pegasus says dryily, looking closer at the girl. "Your name, hmm?"

She raises her head, anger flashing behind her red rimmed glasses. "What's it to you?" She spits out bitterly, full of contempt.

Pegasus sucks his teeth, wagging a finger. "Now, now, don't be difficult here. This wouldn't have happened in Mokie-boy quietly surrendered what's left of KaibaCorps to me. And I believe he was something very important that is essential to my means of taking it over. You happen to be in my way, little girl." In his left eye, he feels the once cold metal artifact of the Millennium Eye, heat up from his sheer will of exerting power into it. It glows, bright yellow beams shining out of it through his long hair.

Surprise forms on the girl's face, as she witnesses this use of Shadow Magic.

He smiles, if not a bit nastily. "_**MIND SCAN!**_" He booms out, and imagines a huge ghostly hand gripping the girl's head.

"Aah!" She gives out a short scream, freezing up from the intense magic coming from the Millennium Eye.

All at once, memories sear through Pegasus's mind, hitting him like a violent crashing of waves. Thankfully, the billionaire is already used to this uncomfortable if not painful sensation, coming from the price of being able to read someone's mind. The memory of the girl, which Pegasus now learns who is Adena Kemp, hiding Mokuba flashes through his mind. He smiles to himself, in triumph. He would have stopped there, but other memories that passes through Pegasus stuck out to him.

Falling off a ledge.

Winning trophies at science fairs, spelling bees, and quizzing contests.

Getting high marks for grades, straight A's.

A sister, an older sister named Brooke. Brooke, who had an obssession with… 'Yu-Gi-Oh?'

An image of a book with a Yugi Mutou on the front pops out on Pegasus.

Intrigued by the contents of Adena's mind, Pegasus digs deeper, the Millennium Eye burning in his left eye from the use of magic. Pouring through the contents of her mind, Pegasus grows both more excited and frightened, learning the forbidden knowledge that he should've never known. His world, that he resides in, simply a manga and an anime, if you will? Preposturous! However, alarm strikes him, when Pegasus reads the information of Duelist Kingdom in Adena's mind. No one should know of that already. And this all comes from her older sister, Brooke.

Frustrating! Her mind holds no more useful information of this revelation he found out. Finally, Pegasus severs the connection he created with the girl's mind, ordering the Eye to stop. It does so immediately, the glowing and intense burning disappearing all in a snap. Adena falls over to the ground, panting heavily. Sympathy pangs in Pegasus's chest for a moment, seeing the girl in a state like this. _Afterall, this is her first time experiencing the effects of Shadow Magic. _He thought emphatically.

However, it vanishes once remembering the new found information he learned from her. "Mokuba is in a room on the second floor, two doors to the left. I trust that any of you can't miss it." Hearing this, two of them rush out of the room, excited to retrieve Mokuba. "As for the other three of you, scour this whole mansion. Find anything of what you think is of use." Another two exit the room, only one staying behind.

Pegasus eyes Adena, who is still on the floor clutching her head. "So, you are not of this world, I assume."

"W-what?" She sits up shakily, looking bewildered. "You know…?" She squints at him. "It's because of that Millennium Item you have, don't you?" He laughs in answer. Fear takes over Adena's face, realizing what she just said.

"Well yes, it is because of a Millennium Item." Pegasus replies pleasantly. "But not any ordinary teenager like you should know this information. So why not tell me the truth? Where do you come from?"

"I sure as heck don't belong here in this world," Adena answers snappishly.

Coolly, Pegasus looks over her. This girl is of no more use to him anymore - however, revealed some very interesting information from the contents of her head. It seems that her sister, Brooke Kemp, holds all of the answers to his questions. Deciding not to ask any more questions, Pegasus no longer pays attention to Adena, only awaiting for the rest of the Big Five to regroup. Looking back to Adena, Pegasus calculates. _She may, or may not be of use to me. However...if I were to lure her to my island, I may be able to draw Brooke Kemp near as well. Hmmm…_

Finally, the rest of the Big Five returns. They shove Mokuba in front of the TV screen, looking a bit bruised up. "What the hell did you do to him?!" Dena yells at all of them, enraged, throwing her arms protectively around the boy.

Annoyance flares up in Pegasus's head at the Big Five for taking such violent measures. He certainly wouldn't prefer to use that on a child Mokuba's age. However, not betraying a look of displeasure, Pegasus looks over at the Big Five. "Well? Were you able to get the designs? The papers?"

They all look nervously at each other.

Pegasus narrows his one eye. "_Well?_"

"Joke's on you!" Mokuba interrupts, grinning madly. "I hid the key somewhere secret!"

"The little bastard swallowed it!" One of the Big Five shouts.

"Inconvenient. No matter. Take him to my island."

"Very well, Master Pegasus." Hearing those orders, two of the Big Five carry off Mokuba.

"Dena! Dena!" Mokuba shouts, before exiting the room.

"Mokuba!" She calls out. She snaps back to Pegasus's direction, wide-eyed with right. "What are you going to do with him?"

"I won't hurt him." Pegasus replies calmly. "I will give you a chance to save him."

Adena pauses, hearing this offer.

"I uncordially and unofficially invite you to Duelist Kingdom! Jonothan? Get the briefcase invitation."

"Yes, Master Pegasus." And with that, he exits the room.

Pegasus smiles demurely at Adena. "You can save Mokuba. Enter Duelist Kingdom, collect ten star chips, and you get the enter my castle and duel me to get back Mokuba."

"Wait, seriously? I have to play a children's card game with you to get him back? I can just call the damn police!" Adena interrupts.

He wags a finger, pursing his lips. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. I have many eyes in Domino City already. And they can easily apprehend you Adena-girl, and quickly silence your calls of distress to authorities. And money can do many wonders to convince others to get them what you want to do." He smirks, tapping a finger on his gold watch. Fury is frozen on Adena's face.

"You son of a - !"

"Now, now, now, there's no need to curse me out."

Jonothan enters the room, giving the briefcase invitation to Adena. Pegasus nods at it.

"That is your qualification to Duelist Kingdom. The ship to my island will be leaving shortly around eight o' clock p.m. I trust that you won't be late."

Adena stares blankly at the briefcase.

"Well, it doesn't really matter if you accept or not. But think of this, Adena-girl. Who's going to save Mokuba?" Adena looks up to him, hearing this. Pegasus smiles, knowing she has taken the bait. "It's up to you. But that boat is leaving tomorrow at that time, and there won't be any other chances. I'll see you soon!" Pegasus waves cheerfully, and shuts off the screen. His cheery smile disappears from his face, as he swirls his chair around.

He grabs the phone, quickly dialling a number.

"_Yes, Master Kaiba?"_

"Ah yes, Leichter. Go to 1727 Takano Avenue, to apartment 27. I want you to pay someone a visit." Pegasus explains, the thoughts of Brooke Kemp in his mind. _She could be my definite chance to get her back. _Once finished talking to the Big Five, Pegasus sits back in his chair. Two days time. Two days time until he will be able to get her back. _Two days time that will bring me closer to you._ He thought, as he silently gazes at a huge portrait a beautiful and serene looking blonde haired woman.

* * *

"This is quite unexpected on the part of Pegasus's plans."

"This is a last minute addition he added on. We might as well follow it, if it brings us one step closer for him to take over KaibaCorp."

"Make it quick then!"

A door creaks open. Apartment is dark and empty. No signs of life. No one there.

"Damnit!"

"What do you know, they're not there."

"Idiot, don't forget the backup Pegasus told us to do if they're not here!"

"Right, right!"

A note is placed on the counter.

The door shuts, leaving the apartment dark and empty once again, however disturbed with the addition of the note the four strangers left.

* * *

"Your grandma was very sweet." Brooke casually and carefully brings her up, both of them sitting in the bus. Outside is already dark, only a few other people on the bus. Ryou is looking the other direction, clearly uncomfortable with the matters about his grandma.

"Thank you."

Silence takes up between them. Defeated, Brooke sits back, recalling her experience meeting Ryou's grandma.

"_Ah! What a pretty girl!"_

"_Thank you, Miss Hayashi."_

"_Are you Ryou's girlfriend?"_

"_No, Miss Hayashi."_

"_What a shame. You two make such a lovely couple. Tell me, how is his little sister, Amane doing?"_

"_I do not know, Miss Hayashi."_

"_I haven't heard from her in awhile! So strange! Oh, Brooke? May I ask you of something?"_

"_Yes, what is it?"_

"_Please always watch over Ryou. He's cooped up all alone in such a huge city. They won't let me live with him. I wonder why. Ever since his mother took her life…"_

"_Wait...what do you mean?"_

"_No, no, no, not my little Chieko! Chieko! Oh, why did my little girl have to die?!"_

"Brooke?"

She is jolted out of her thoughts, turning to Ryou. He is looking at her closely. "...I'm sorry."

"Huh? For what?" She questions, confused.

Ryou looks away, looking ashamed. "I should've told you. My grandma has dementia. So she must've told you strange things. I just didn't know how to bring it up…"

"No, no, it's alright! She really does care for you, you know that? And she really seem to like that jello we made her!"

He smiles at her, looking unsure still. "Well, you mostly made it."

Brooke laughs lightly. So many questions run through her mind, begging to be answered. Curiosity is killing Brooke on the inside, but she holds her tongue back. He'll tell her whatever about his family, when he's ready for it. "I'm glad that I'm getting to know more about you, Bakura." Brooke says to him, giving a small smile. He smiles back.

"Thank you."

Smiling and looking away, Brooke leans against the cold window, gazing at the blurry scenery of nighttime and trees melting with each other, making an unintelligible scene. Eventually, the soft rocking of the bus, ushers Brooke into sleep. Half asleep, and half awake, but not really having a grasp of reality, Brooke slowly leans over to Ryou's side. _Warm, so warm._ She thought mindlessly, snuggling against whatever she's happening to lean on. The person brushes hair out of her eyes, and leans back on her as well. Brooke smiles, feeling awfully happily for some reason, before completely drifting off to sleep.

* * *

**A/N: WHEW, yet another long chapter done and over witH! Reviews are appreciated please!**


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